Details
A Scope of Appointment (SOA) is a form that a beneficiary fills out, signs, and dates, giving permission for a licensed agent to discuss specific products with the beneficiary during the appointment. The beneficiary must initial the boxes next to the product(s) they want to discuss during the appointment.
The products discussed are limited to only those recorded on the signed SOA.
SOA can be a:
CMS approved paper SOA with a wet signature
CMS approved electronic SOA with digital signature (Spark supports this on Sunfire)
CMS approved verbal SOA if conducting a telephonic sales appointment and enrollment (Spark supports this on call recordings)
The Spark platform supports sending digital SOAs to clients. However, should you need a paper form, you may download and use the form below.
Informational Documents
Scope of Appointment Form: Scope_of_Appointment_Form__CY2024_50087-X-0923.pdf
Scope of Appointment Form- Fillable: SOA-Fillable-1.pdf
SOA Guidelines and Timelines
PY 2027: Agents must obtain a signed SOA before any one-on-one marketing in person, online, or over the phone.
PY2026 - 48-hour rule still applies. Agents must obtain a signed SOA at least 48 hours in advance of any one-on-one marketing appointment in person, online, or over the phone. (see exceptions below).
Exceptions to the 48 Hour Rule (for PY 2026)
Final 4 Days of Enrollment: The rule is waived if the beneficiary is four (4) days or less from the end of a valid enrollment period (AEP, OEP, SEP, ICEP)
Unscheduled Walk-ins: If a beneficiary walks into an office unannounced and requests to meet, the 48-hour requirement does not apply.
Inbound Calls: An SOA can be completed during a call initiated by the beneficiary without a 48-hour waiting period.
You must still collect the SOA before discussing the beneficiary's plan options. If conducting a telephonic appointment, the agent must follow a CMS-approved script to obtain a verbal SOA before talking about plan options.
How long is a SOA good for?
An SOA form is not an open-ended agreement. Once the beneficiary enrolls in a plan or decides not to enroll in a plan upon completion of an appointment, the SOA is considered used and is no longer valid.
If the beneficiary wants to take additional time to consider their options, agents may use the same SOA for subsequent follow-up appointments as long as the scope of what was discussed previously does not change in follow-up discussions.
If the appointment needs to be rescheduled, the previously signed SOA form is valid for a 12-month time frame from the beneficiary’s signature date or their request for more info. And again, the products discussed are limited to only what is recorded on the signed SOA.
Other things to note about SOAs
SOA’s must be kept for 10 years, including audio files for verbal SOA’s
SOAs are generally required to be submitted with all enrollment applications; however, some carriers may only require them upon request. Check for carrier-specific instructions.
PY2027 Update: Agents ARE allowed to hand out and/or collect SOA's at educational events.
PY2026: Agents are not allowed to hand out and/or collect SOA’s at educational events.
SOA's requires only the beneficiary’s signature and initials for product selection; the agent’s signature is not needed.
How Spark Makes it Easier
The Spark platform supports sending digital SOA’s to clients and storing them in the client profile. However, should you need a paper form, you may download and use one of the forms below.