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
Detailed SOA Rules: Detailed_SOA_Rules_(2023).pdf
Scope of Appointment Cheat Sheet: Scope_of_Appointment_Cheat_Sheet.pdf
SOA Guidelines and Timelines
At least 48 hours prior to the appointment taking place.
Exceptions to the 48 Hour Rule
when a beneficiary is four days or less from the end of a valid enrollment period (AEP, OEP, SEP, ICEP)
unscheduled in-person meetings (walk-ins) initiated by the beneficiary.
You must still collect the SOA before talking with the beneficiary about their 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.
Other things to note about SOAs
SOA’s must be kept for 10 years, including audio files for verbal SOA’s
SOA’s are generally required to be submitted with all enrollment applications; although some carriers may only require upon request. Check for carrier specific instructions.
You are not allowed to hand out and/or collect SOA’s at educational events.
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.