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MAPD Help Desk

Plan Communications

The Plan Communications materials included in this section were distributed via e-mail from the MMA Help Desk (mmahelp@cms.hhs.gov). The subject list included on this page contains identified categories of information. For each category, the subject of the e-mail, the date it was sent and a brief description, is provided. Click on the subject to access the information. Documents referenced in the various communications are available in the Downloads section of the web page.

Subject Date Description
January 2010 Full-Dual File for MA Organizations and Cost Plans 12/24/2009 Please review the MA Full Dual File Notification memo in the Downloads section below for details regarding the January 2010 MA Full-Dual File.
Notification of State File Processing Delay 07/07/2011 As of Friday, July 8, 2011 at 6 PM, CMS will experience a temporary delay in processing of State MAPD files.
Important Notice: Gentran Outage 08/17/2011 Beginning Saturday, August 20, 2011 at 12:00 AM through Sunday, August 21, 2011 at 12:00 AM Eastern Time, Gentran will be unavailable to users while the application is upgraded to a more current release.
Important Notice: Mainframe Outage 08/17/2011 Please be advised that there will be a Mainframe outage on Sunday, August 21, 2011, from 2:00 AM until 2:00 PM (Eastern Time).
Notification of Possible Delay of the Bi-weekly LIS Report 07/14/2011 The Bi-weekly LIS Report scheduled for Sunday, July 17, 2011 may be delayed until Monday, July 18, 2011 due to a routine system maintenance.
Notification of State File Processing Delay 08/11/2011 As of Friday, August 12, 2011 at 6 PM, CMS will experience a temporary delay in processing of State MAPD files.
Notification of State File Processing Delay 08/04/2011 Please be advised that as of Friday, August 5, 2011 at 6 PM (Eastern Time), CMS will experience a temporary delay in processing of State MAPD files.
Notification of Revised PPR Delivery 07/26/2011 Please be advised that the printed report format versions of the Plan Payment Report (PPR) for August that were pushed to the Plans on July 22, 2011 contain July's data.
CMS Direction for MA and Cost Plans Regarding Recent Automatic Disenrollment Actions 07/22/2011 CMS has identified an issue related to MA and Cost Plan enrollees with ESRD periods.
Notification of 2010 RAPS Final MORs Delivery 07/22/2011 Please be advised that Plans will receive the 2010 Risk Adjustment Processing System (RAPS) Final Model Output Reports (MORs) on July 25, 2011.
Announcement of August 2011 Software Release 06/16/2011 Please review the memo entitled "Announcement of August 2011 Software Release" from Cheri Rice and Alan Constantian dated June 15, 2011 in the Downloads section below for information regarding the 2011 August software release.
Important Notice: Mainframe Outage 09/13/2011 Please be advised that there will be a Mainframe outage on Sunday, September 18, 2011, from 2:00 AM until 2:00 PM (Eastern Time).
Important Notice: Correction Involving Transaction Reply Code (TRC) 121 09/20/2011 This message is to alert you to a forthcoming correction involving Transaction Reply Code (TRC) 121: Low Income Period Status.
Number of Uncovered Months FAQ 04/04/2011 Please review the Submitting Number of Uncovered Months (NUNCMO) FAQ memo in the Downloads section below for details regarding sending NUNCMO information to CMS.
Important Notice: Gentran Outage 10/04/2011 Please be advised that there will be a Gentran outage Saturday, October 8, 2011 at 12:00 AM through Sunday, October 9, 2011 at 4:00 PM (Eastern Time). This is due to a system upgrade.
Important Change Notice: Change to the MARx Monthly Schedule for October 2011 08/30/2011 Please review the memo from Cheri Rice entitled "Change to the MARx Monthly Schedule for October 2011" in the downloads section below for information regarding the changes to the MARx Monthly Schedule for October 2011.
Cancelled Gentran Outage - Saturday, October 22, 2011, 12:00 AM through Sunday, October 23, 2011, 4: 10/21/2011 The MMA Upgrade for this coming weekend has been cancelled due to unresolved technical issues.
Announcement of April 2011 Software Release 02/03/2011 Please review the memo entitled Announcement of April 2011 Software Release
Important Notice: MARx UI Availability 09/14/2011 Please be advised that MARX Common UI may be unavailable to users Friday, September 16, 2011 from 9:00 PM (Eastern Time) through Sunday, September 18, 2011 at 9:00 PM (Eastern Time). This is due to system maintenance.
Advanced Announcement of November 2011 Software Release 07/19/2011 Please review the memo entitled Advanced Announcement of November 2011 Software Release from Cheri Rice and Alan Constantian dated July 19, 2011 in the Downloads section below for information regarding the 2011 November software release.
Important Notice: MARx UI Unavailability 11/08/2011 Please be advised that due to implementation of software changes, the MARx UI will be in Dark mode from approximately 6:30 PM Saturday, November 12, 2011 until 4:30 AM Sunday, November 13, 2011.
Announcement of the November 2011 Software Release 09/14/2011 Please review the memo entitled "Announcement of the November 2011 Software Release" from Cheri Rice and Alan Constantian dated September 14, 2011 in the Downloads section below for information regarding the 2011 November software release.
Updates to the 2011 Enrollment and Eligibility System Production Calendar and MARx Pl 05/18/2011 Due to the implementation of MARx Redesign and Modernization (R&M), the MAPD Production Schedule for 2011 and the MARx Plan Monthly Schedule for 2011 have been modified to reflect date changes.
Advance Announcement of the August 2011 Software Release 03/18/2011 Please review the memo entitled Advance Announcement of August 2011 Software Release from Cheri Rice and Alan Constantian dated March 18, 2011, in the Downloads section below for preliminary information regarding the August 2011 software release.
Notification of State File Processing Delay 06/09/2011 As of Friday, June 10, 2011 at 6 PM, CMS will experience a temporary delay in processing of State MAPD files.
Important Notice MARx UI Outage 06/03/2011 The MARx UI will be unavailable Friday, June 3rd, 2011 from 10:30 PM through 11:30 PM due to scheduled maintenance.
MARx Redesign and Modernization Plan Training Webinar is Now Available 04/04/2011 Please review the MARx Redesign and Modernization Plan Training Webinar PowerPoint Slides in the Downloads section below.
Changes to Implementation Schedule for the MARx Redesign and Modernization (RM) Release 04/08/2011 Please review the memo entitled Changes to Implementation Schedule for the RM Release from from Cheri Rice and Alan Constantian in the downloads section below for important information regarding the MARx RM enhancements.
Notification of State File Processing Delay 04/07/2011 As of Friday, March 11, 2011 at 6 PM, CMS will experience a temporary delay in processing of State MAPD files.
Important Notice: Mainframe Outage 05/17/2011 Please be advised that there will be a mainframe outage from Friday, May 20, 2011 at 10:00 PM through Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 8:00 AM (Eastern Time).
Advance Announcement of February 2012 Software Release 11/18/2011 Please review the memo entitled "Advanced Announcement of February 2012 Software Release" from Cheri Rice and Alan Constantian dated November 14, 2011 in the Downloads section below for information regarding the 2012 February software release.
Important Notice: MAPD Help Desk Closed on December 26, 2011 12/20/2011 Please be advised that the MAPD Help Desk will be closed on Monday, December 26, 2011 in observance of the Christmas holiday.
Important Change Notice: AT&T/MDCN switch to Verizon Business Networx Services (VBNS) 05/16/2011 Please review the memo from Cheri Rice and Alan Constantian entitled "Important Change Notice of AT&T/MDCN switch to Verizon Business Networx Services (VBNS)" in the downloads section below for information regarding the upcoming VBNS transition.
MARx System R&M Batch and MARx System R&M MARx User Interface Handbooks 03/17/2011 Please review the MARx System Redesign & Modernization Batch and MARx System Redesign & Modernization MARx User Interface (UI) Handbooks in the Downloads section below.
Temporary Delay in Processing the State MAPD Files 06/30/2011 The last Auto Assignment process will run Friday, July 1, 2011 at 6 PM and will resume on Monday, July 4, 2011 at 6 AM.
Important Notice: Gentran Access After June 30, 2011 05/26/2011 Any organization that was required to make a firewall change in order to access the Gentran server (gis.cms.hhs.gov) is advised to contact the MAPD Help Desk for important configuration information.
Important Notice: Friday, May 20, 2011 Daily TRR Postponed Until Sunday, May 22, 2011 05/17/2011 Due to the scheduled mainframe outage this Friday, May 20, 2011 at 10:00 PM, the daily plan TRR files will be transmitted Sunday, May 22, 2011.
Important Notice: Information Regarding MARx Daily Transaction Reply Reports 05/05/2011 The MARx Redesign and Modernization has been successfully implemented.
Important Notice: MARx UI Outage 07/01/2011 The MARx UI will be unavailable to all users from 2:00 PM on Sunday, July 3rd, 2011 until 6:00 AM on Monday, July 4th, 2011 due to scheduled maintenance.
Important Notice to All Medicare Beneficiary Database Graphical User Interface (MBD GUI) Users: Unif 11/09/2011 GUI users currently using a web browser to launch the MBD GUI from a Web page may be impacted by an upcoming change to the CMS network.
Important Notice: MAPD Help Desk Closed on January 2, 2012 12/28/2011 Please be advised that the MAPD Help Desk will be closed on Monday, January 2, 2012 in observance of the New Years holiday.
Important Notice: IACS Outage 07/28/2011 Please be advised that on Friday, July 29, 2011, 9:00 PM through Sunday, July 31, 2011, 10:00 PM (Eastern Time), there will be an IACS Outage for the IACS 2011.2 Release.
Important Notice: MARx UI Availability 07/28/2011 Please be advised that on Sunday, July 31, 2011 at 5:00 PM until Monday, August 1, 2011 at 6:00 AM the MARx UI will be unavailable to all users due to scheduled maintenance.
Important Notice: Gentran Outage 01/17/2012 Please be advised that there will be a Gentran outage Friday, January 20, 2012 at 11:00 PM through Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 4:00 PM (Eastern Time).
Important Notice: Mainframe Outage 01/17/2012 Please be advised that there will be a Mainframe outage on Sunday, January 22, 2012, from 2:00 AM through 8:00 PM (Eastern Time).
Important Notice: Mainframe Outage Affecting IACS Services 01/20/2012 Please be advised that there will be a Mainframe Outage Sunday, January 22, 2012, 2:00 AM - 8:00 PM (Eastern Time).
Important Notice: Schedule Adjustment to Daily TRR Processing During Gentran and Mainframe Outages 01/18/2012 Due to the scheduled Gentran and Mainframe outages January 20th through January 22nd, please be advised of the following adjustments to the Daily TRR processing schedule:
Important Notice - Updated End-Stage-Renal-Disease Coverage Data Clean-up and Special Transaction Reply Report REVISED 2012-05-14 The memo titled “End-Stage-Renal-Disease Coverage Data Clean-up and Special Transaction Reply Report" dated May 14, 2012, is available in the Downloads section below. It revises (and replaces) the May 11, 2012 version and provides updated information regarding a clean-up to correct the End-Stage-Renal Disease (ESRD) coverage dates that resulted in payment issues in 2011.
Updated Gentran Migration Schedule 2012-05-08 Please be advised that the Gentran Migration Schedule has been updated; the revised schedule dated May 8, 2012 is available for review in the Downloads section below.
Advanced Announcement of August 2012 Software Release 2012-04-27 The memo entitled "Advanced Announcement of August 2012 Software Release" dated April 25, 2012, is available in the Downloads section below. It provides preliminary information regarding the 2012 August software release.
Important Notice: Gentran Migration 2012-04-18 The purpose of this notification is to inform all Gentran Users that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), is transitioning from IBM Sterling Gentran to TIBCO MFT Internet Server. All Gentran Users must convert to the Internet Server by December 31, 2012.
Revised Week-At-A-Glance Memorandum 2012-04-03 Please see the memorandum in the Downloads section below from Cheri Rice, Director, Medicare Plan Payment Group, and Rosanne Hodge, Acting Director, Information Services Design and Development Group.
Important Notice: Application Service Outage 2012-07-17 Please be advised that there will be an application service outage Saturday, July 21, 2012 from 9:00 AM through 2:00 PM (Eastern Time) to install new internet-related equipment into Production.
Important Notice: Mainframe Outage 2012-07-17 Please be advised that there will be a Mainframe outage on Sunday, July 22, 2012, from 2:00 AM – 8:00 PM (Eastern Time).
Advance Announcement of the November 2012 Software Release 2012-07-27 Please review the memo entitled Advance Announcement of the November 2012 Software Release from Cheri Rice and Rosanne Hodge dated July 27, 2011, in the Downloads section below for preliminary information regarding the November 2012 software release.
Notification of 2011 RAPS Final MORs Delivery 2012-07-24 Please be advised that Plans will receive the 2011 Risk Adjustment Processing System (RAPS) Final Model Output Reports (MORs) on July 25, 2012.
Announcement of August 2012 Software Release 2012-06-25 The memo entitled "Announcement of August 2012 Software Release" dated June 25, 2012, is available in the Downloads section below.
Important Notice: Disenrollment Due to Failure to Pay Part D–Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (Part D-IRMAA) 2012-06-11 On March 9, 2012, CMS began issuing Transaction Reply Codes (TRC) 293s, when applicable, to notify Plans that a beneficiary will be disenrolled due to failure to pay his or her Part D-IRMAA amounts.
Announcement of the November 2012 Software Release 2012-08-20 The memo entitled "Announcement of the November 2012 Software Release" dated August 20, 2012, is available in the Downloads section below.
Important Notice: End-of-Year 2012 Enrollment and Payment Systems Processing Information Memorandum 2012-09-21 Please see the memo dated September 21, 2012 in the Downloads section below from Arrah Tabe-Bedward, Acting Director, Medicare Enrollment and Appeals Group, Cheri Rice, Director, Medicare Plan Payment Group, and Dr. Raj G. Iyer, Director, Information Services Design and Development Group, regarding end-of-year 2012 enrollment and payment systems processing information.
Advance Announcement of the February 2013 Software Release 2012-11-02 Please review the memo entitled “Advance Announcement of the February 2013 Software Release” from Cheri Rice and Dr. Raj G. Iyer dated November 2, 2012, in the Downloads section below for preliminary information regarding the February 2013 software release.
Updated “Designation of Individuals Authorized Access to CMS Computer Services (IACS) Plan User Approver/External Point of Contact (EPOC) – ACTION” Memo Now Available 2012-11-29 The “Designation of Individuals Authorized Access to CMS Computer Services (IACS) Plan User Approver/External Point of Contact (EPOC) – ACTION” memo from Cheri Rice dated November 28, 2012, is available for review in the Downloads section below.
Announcement of the February 2013 Software Release 2012-12-14 Please review the memo entitled “Announcement of the February 2013 Software Release” from Cheri Rice and Dr. Raj G. Iyer dated December 14, 2012, in the Downloads section below for detailed information regarding the February 2013 software release.
Important Notice: December 30, 2012 TC 71 and TC 72 Cleanup Cancelled 2012-12-28 Please disregard the previous communication that stated on December 30, 2012, CMS is processing a data cleanup of Hospice notifications (TC 71 and TC 72 transactions) for Effective dates on the Daily Transaction Reply Report (DTRR) that occurred between May 2012 and prior to the December 16, 2012 change implementation.