Eligibility made easy

CMS is helping states meet new community engagement (CE) requirements with our open-source, modular Emmy software and hands-on technical support.

How CMS can help your state support community engagement

Learn all about Emmy software

Learn how Emmy helps to report work, income, education, and volunteer hours through consent-based data sharing.

Learn more about emmy

Explore the Emmy integration

Explore technical documentation, source code, and integration guidance to learn how to start implementing.

Visit the Emmy repo

Get technical assistance from CMS

Work with CMS on integration, procurement, and operational planning — whether or not you plan on using Emmy software.

Learn more

Talk next steps with the CMS team

Not sure which approach is best for your state? Contact CMS to schedule a time to talk through your options for support.

Get in touch

How our Emmy software works

Eligibility Made Easy (Emmy) is a CMS-developed suite of open-source tools that streamlines income and CE reporting for Medicaid applicants and enrollees. Emmy uses consent-based verification (CBV) across multiple data sources to speed up processing, lower administrative burden, and generate cost savings.

Flow diagram of how Emmy software works from a beneficiary's perspective. States can integrate Emmy in two ways: (1) the Emmy app, where applicants use a CMS-hosted Emmy UI to provide consent and review Community Engagement reporting data. Or, (2) the Emmy API, where the state maintains its own UI and sends applicant info directly to the API service. In both, Emmy’s backend service connects to approved eligibility data sources, generates results, and returns data back to the state portal.

Emmy application

A mobile-responsive interface that allows applicants to report and verify income, hours worked, education enrollment, and volunteering activities.

Emmy API

A centralized verification router that allows states to securely access relevant data sources like VA disability rating, and the National Student Clearinghouse.

How our technical assistance team supports states

We help states plan and implement CE requirements while reducing compliance risk and limiting operational disruption. Whether or not your state adopts Emmy software, we offer hands-on support across planning, implementation, and optimization.

Examples of how we partner with states

Assess & Procure

We help your state identify the highest-impact path to CE compliance and align procurement strategies accordingly.

Examples include

Define phased and prioritized implementation roadmaps
Review APDs and advise on procurement approaches
Support vendor coordination, onboarding, and communications

Implement & Integrate

We provide hands-on CE implementation support across systems, data, interface design, and outreach content strategy.

Examples include

Streamline system integrations to reduce case management burden
Optimize APIs and data exchange to improve interoperability and accuracy
Optimize end-user flows and notice content to increase completion rates

Test & Optimize

We ensure CE implementation is sustainable and grounded in existing operational practices.

Examples include

Validate flows with usability testing to ensure adoption and reduce rework
Prepare program documentation to meet compliance requirements
Monitor metrics and user feedback to drive continuous improvement

Engagement scope is defined based on your state’s needs and priorities. These examples are illustrative and not exhaustive.