(a) General requirement. The State must develop and implement a beneficiary support system that provides support to beneficiaries both prior to and after enrollment in a MCO, PIHP, PAHP, PCCM or PCCM entity.

(b) Elements of the support system. (1) A State beneficiary support system must include at a minimum:

(i) Choice counseling for all beneficiaries.

(ii) Assistance for enrollees in understanding managed care.

(iii) Assistance as specified for enrollees who use, or express a desire to receive, LTSS in paragraph (d) of this section.

(2) The beneficiary support system must perform outreach to beneficiaries and/or authorized representatives and be accessible in multiple ways including phone, Internet, in-person, and via auxiliary aids and services when requested.

(c) Choice counseling. (1) Choice counseling, as defined in § 438.2, must be provided to all potential enrollees and enrollees who disenroll from a MCO, PIHP, PAHP, PCCM or PCCM entity for reasons specified in § 438.56(b) and (c).

(2) If an individual or entity provides choice counseling on the State's behalf under a memorandum of agreement or contract, it is considered an enrollment broker as defined in § 438.810(a) and must meet the independence and freedom from conflict of interest standards in § 438.810(b)(1) and (2).

(3) An entity that receives non-Medicaid funding to represent beneficiaries at hearings may provide choice counseling on behalf of the State so long as the State requires firewalls to ensure that the requirements for the provision of choice counseling are met.

(d) Functions specific to LTSS activities. At a minimum, the beneficiary support system must provide the following support to enrollees who use, or express a desire to receive, LTSS:

(1) An access point for complaints and concerns about MCO, PIHP, PAHP, PCCM, and PCCM entity enrollment, access to covered services, and other related matters.

(2) Education on enrollees' grievance and appeal rights within the MCO, PIHP or PAHP; the State fair hearing process; enrollee rights and responsibilities; and additional resources outside of the MCO, PIHP or PAHP.

(3) Assistance, upon request, in navigating the grievance and appeal process within the MCO, PIHP or PAHP, as well as appealing adverse benefit determinations by the MCO, PIHP, or PAHP to a State fair hearing. The system may not provide representation to the enrollee at a State fair hearing but may refer enrollees to sources of legal representation.

(4) Review and oversight of LTSS program data to provide guidance to the State Medicaid Agency on identification, remediation and resolution of systemic issues.