Clarification on End Date of CMS Hurricane Helene Waivers

Palmetto GBA just received clarification from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on the waivers related to Hurricane Helene.  Following this clarification, Palmetto GBA double-checked with their Claims Operations to make sure FISS edits were processing properly. According to Palmetto GBA, their processing system is working properly. However, according to CMS, there has been a revision to the waiver timeline for North Carolina claims.     

Much of the confusion on the end date of the waivers was caused by CMS continuing to list the North Carolina Hurricane Helene waivers as a current emergency, even after the end date.  CMS verified that North Carolina (NC) is no longer listed as a current public health emergency (PHE) on the CMS website. In NC, the Medicare effective date for PHE Hurricane Helene is September 25, 2024, through the termination date of March 23, 2025. The Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) 3-Day qualifying stay waiver utilizes the admission date as the reference point for the waiver application.