Scope of Appointment
The form CMS makes us send before we can talk about a plan
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What it is, and what it is not
Before an agent can discuss a specific Medicare Advantage or Part D plan with you, CMS requires you to have agreed in advance to talk about that kind of plan. That agreement is the Scope of Appointment.
- It is not an application. Signing it enrolls you in nothing and changes no coverage you have.
- It is not a commitment to buy, or to meet again, or to keep talking.
- It is not a credit check and it asks for no financial information.
- It limits us, not you. You name the topics; we are the ones held to them.
That last line is the whole point of it, and it is why the form exists at all.
Why we have to ask
The rule came from a real pattern. People agreed to a conversation about one thing and found themselves being sold another — someone who called about a drug plan spending an hour hearing about something that would have replaced their entire coverage.
So CMS made the agenda something you set beforehand rather than something the agent sets in the room. If you say you want to talk about Part D, we talk about Part D. If we think you should also look at something else, we have to ask you first, and you can say no or agree to a separate conversation.
We would send this to you even if it were not required. An agent who has to name the agenda in advance is an agent who cannot spring anything on you.
A Medigap conversation does not need one
The exception people are rarely told about
Scope of Appointment applies to Medicare Advantage and Part D. If you only want to talk about Medicare Supplement — Medigap — no Scope of Appointment is required, and anyone insisting on one before that conversation is applying a rule that does not apply.
In practice a first conversation often covers both roads, because comparing them is the actual decision at 65. When it does, we ask for the form. When you have already decided you want Medigap and want to talk only about that, we do not.
How Medigap works and how Advantage works are both here to read without talking to anybody at all.
What it asks you for
Three items, and it takes about a minute.
- Who you are. Name and contact details, so the record matches the conversation.
- What you are willing to discuss. Tick the product types — Medicare Advantage, Part D, or both. Anything you leave unticked is off the agenda.
- Your signature and the date. Electronic is fine.
In plain terms
“Can I change my mind in the meeting?” Yes. If the conversation needs a topic you did not tick, we can ask you to add it, or we can arrange a separate conversation. What we cannot do is widen the agenda without telling you.
The completed form is kept for ten years, which is the retention period CMS sets for these records.
How to complete one with us
It takes about a minute and the simplest way to do it is at the start of your call — we read it to you, you say yes to the parts you want to discuss, and a recorded verbal Scope of Appointment is exactly as valid as a signed one. Nothing has to happen before you book.
If you would rather have it in writing first
Call (970) 840-1250 and ask, and we will send it to you before the appointment instead. Either way it costs you nothing and neither version enrolls you in anything. TTY 711.
Signing for somebody else. If you are handling Medicare for a parent or a spouse, you can complete it on their behalf — the form records who signed and their relationship to the beneficiary. Tell us that is the situation when you book, so we take it from the right person and set the appointment up the way you need it.
Book a 60-minute call and the form follows. Or call us and we will handle all of it on that call.
Questions about the Scope of Appointment
Am I committing to anything by signing this?
No. It enrolls you in nothing, changes no coverage you currently have, and does not obligate you to buy anything or to meet again. It records which kinds of plan you are willing to discuss.
It constrains us rather than you. Anything you do not agree to discuss is off the agenda for that conversation, and we have to ask before adding a topic.
I only want to talk about Medicare Supplement. Do I need one?
No. The requirement covers Medicare Advantage and Part D. A conversation only about Medicare Supplement does not need a Scope of Appointment.
If the conversation is likely to cover both roads — and at 65 comparing them is usually the real decision — we will ask for the form so we can discuss the Advantage side properly.
Can I sign on behalf of my parent?
Yes. Someone can complete a Scope of Appointment on a beneficiary's behalf, and the form records who signed and their relationship to the person.
Tell us when you book that you are handling this for somebody else, so the form goes to the right person and the appointment is set up the way you need it.
Can I do this without filling in an online form?
Yes. Call (970) 840-1250 and we will take the Scope of Appointment over the phone — a recorded verbal one is equally valid, and plenty of people prefer it.
Choosing the phone gets you no worse service and no slower appointment. It is a conversation either way.
CMS-required disclaimer
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 7 organizations which offer 45 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Program to get information on all of your options.