CMS’ RDS Center has updated a variety of resources on the RDS Public Website to remind and reinforce with Plan Sponsors the RDS Secure Website user roles that are required to submit a timely RDS application.
As a reminder, the Account Manager, Authorized Representative, and Actuary user roles are required in order to complete the Application Submission process. Designees are optional – the Plan Sponsor does not need to assign Designees to applications nor are Designees required to submit applications. If the Plan Sponsor chooses to assign Designees to their applications, Designees can be assigned and registered to an RDS application before or after Application Submission.
A user may be reassigned to a different user role, as long as that user's previous user role has been terminated from all Plan Sponsors and applications that they are associated with. For smoother transition please wait one day following a user’s termination date before assigning the user to the new role. For more information, refer to the topics Assigning a Different Role to a Current RDS Secure Website User and Register as an RDS Secure Website User.
Updates have been made to the following resources:
- Annual Plan Application user guide page
- Complete the Application Submission Process user guide page
- Information Required to Complete an Application user guide page
- Manage the Designee Role user guide page
- RDS Program Overview user guide page
- User Roles for the Application Submission Process user guide page
- Information Required to Complete an Application page
You may also refer to Common Question 400-5: What user roles are required to complete the Application Submission Process?, published on 10/17/2014.
Please continue to monitor the RDS Public Website, the RDS User Guide, and your registered email account for notifications regarding new educational materials on this and other topics.
IMPORTANT: RDS Secure Website participants must take the necessary steps to ensure that all emails are received and not marked as "spam" or automatically deleted for any other reason.
Make the necessary adjustments to your email account or contact your network administrator to ensure that emails sent from the RDS@cms.hhs.gov email address are not blocked by any spam filters or Blocked Senders Lists. Note: This announcement was edited on <insert publication date> to remove obsolete contact information.
If you have additional questions or concerns about RDS user roles or the Application Submission process, please contact CMS’ RDS Center. Do not include any Protected Health Information (PHI), as defined in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), or Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in the email or Support Request, such as User ID, Password, MBI, SSN, DOB, etc. As a reminder, the CMS’ RDS Center discontinued its Call Center in 2015.