VRA & Scope of Appointment Tutorial

1. VRA & Scope of Appointment Tutorial America’s 1st Choice Insurance Company of North Carolina

2. Introduction With new CMS guidelines for various scope of appointment methods outlined in the recent Medicare Marketing Guidelines issued on 6/4/10, the Plan has updated their procedures for securing an appropriate scope of appointment type. This updated procedure will allow an agent to establish a properly scoped appointment more quickly while providing the clear documentation required by CMS to protect both the beneficiary and the agent.

3. Scope of Appointment Types There are several methods of securing a scope of appointment accepted by CMS as outlined below. However, the Plan has established a procedure when each is appropriate when writing plan business. Agents must follow the 48 hour waiting periodguideline outlined in Ch. 3 of the Medicare Marketing Guidelines. • Voice Recorded Appointment (VRA) • Paper Scope of Appointment

4. Voice Recorded Appointment (VRA) VRA is the preferred method for scoping as it will allow the agent to establish an immediate appointment once the VRA is completed and a tracking confirmation is provided (Except when 48 hour cooling off is required). VRA also relieves the agent of securing documentation as everything is handled by the plan once the preliminary request to set up VRA is completed. Please keep in mind that as per CMS guideline, the call should be placed by the plan sponsor and not the agent/broker Please follow these instructions for conducting a VRA.

5. Please make sure the beneficiary who has requested the appointment is expecting to receive the Teledirect phone call and understands it will take approx 5-7minutes to complete the process. The Teledirect operator will ask the beneficiary a series of questions to ascertain the initial method of contact and establish their permission to have MA products discussed with them. • Based on the plan the potential members selects to discuss, dial the appropriate 800 number. • 1-800-697-4504 (AFN) • Teledirect will ask you several questions to determine the appropriate script type necessary. • Be prepared to provide the following information during the call: • Your first and last name • Your Agent ID • Your preferred method of return contact (cell phone, email, text message, voicemail) • Beneficiary’s first and last name and appointment address • Appointment date/time.

6. After you complete this call, Teledirect will make three attempts over the span of 1 hour to contact the beneficiary in order to verify the information you provide. If on the second attempt we are unable to contact the beneficiary, we will call you and ask you to try and contact the beneficiary before our third attempt. Once all three attempts are made, Teledirect will wait for the 24 hours and make a fourth attempt in the morning and a fifth attempt in the evening. If by the fifth attempt, Teledirect cannot reach the beneficiary it will be considered a non confirmable appointment and you will need to start the process over again. 5. After the confirmation process is complete, Teledirect will return your confirmation number by the method you request (email, text message, phone call or voicemail)or let you know they were unable to get a confirmation for your appointment.

7. Important VRA Reminders …… • You may not complete the appointment unless you receive a Tracking Confirmation #. If you have any questions or a problem with the process, please contact 1-877-877-0539. • Spouses must be conducted as 2 separate VRA’s. When requesting VRA for a couple, please submit the VRA request separately. Once completed, you will receive 2 tracking confirmation #’s. • Apply the Tracking Confirmation # to the “For Office Use” section of your enrollment application as shown on slide 9. All tracking information will be verified to determine there is a corresponding recording. • Teledirect will instruct the beneficiary to call them back should they need to cancel or change the appointment. This information will be communicated to you.

8. Paper Scope of AppointmentAgents must follow the 48 hour waiting period guideline outlined in Ch. 3 of the Medicare Marketing Guidelines. • May be used for “Walk-In” Appointments • May be used for a follow up appointment after a seminar • May be used for a hearing impaired beneficiary, someone who does not have a phone or if agent has previously secured a model CMS approved paper SOA. • You may use fax, email or regular mail to secure a signed paper scope form and must do so in advance of the appointment.