COVID-19 Resources – 1135 Waivers

As promised to our readers, we will post updates as changes occur to the industry’s preparation for COVID-19 and the Federal/CMS response. Here is one that could affect your operation. The national emergency declared on March 13 includes information on 1135 waivers which may impact your emergency management planning process.

1135 Waivers

Although we wrote about emergency management and outlined the process to obtain Federal 1135 waivers in our December 2019 newsletter, the declaration may change how you approach an individual waiver.

CMS Blanket Waiver Information

You may consider applying for an 1135 waiver. But, before you do, keep this in mind. There were several blanket waivers approved by CMS that may obviate the need for an individual waiver.

What’s more, the information from the following sources can help guide your next steps.

• This CMS press release contains details on the national emergency declaration.
• You can access the 1135 waiver technical information, instructions, PDF slide presentation on 1135 waivers, email addresses for CMS regional offices and FAQs, here.
• Here is the list of blanket waivers pre-approved by CMS. It also contains examples of 1135 waiver requests you can review.

If you need additional information on these topics, give us a call. We will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available.

Stay safe.