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The Appeals Process

The Medicare program gives suppliers and beneficiaries the right to appeal claim determinations that the DME MAC made. The purpose of the appeals process is to ensure the correct adjudication, or processing, of your claim. There are 5 levels of the appeals process:

  1. Redetermination
  2. Reconsideration
  3. Administrative Law Judge (ALJ)
  4. Departmental Appeals Board (DAB) Review
  5. Federal Court (Judicial) Review

Who can request an appeal?

  • Medicare beneficiaries, their authorized representatives, or Medicaid state agencies or parties authorized to act on behalf of Medicaid state agencies for the beneficiaries
  • Medicare providers, practitioners, or suppliers participating with the Medicare program and accepting assignment on all services provided, or their authorized representatives
  • Medicare providers, practitioners, or suppliers not participating in the Medicare program and not accepting assignment but are held liable for indemnification under Section 1842(I)(1)(A) of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)

Suppliers who use a billing agency to handle appeals need to submit a properly executed appointment of representative. Suppliers, or anyone seeking to represent a beneficiary, can use the Form CMS-1696 Appointment of RepresentativeExternal PDF or submit a statement containing all of the required elements.

Each appeal process has specific timelines and requirements:

Appeal Level

Time Limit for Filing Request

Monetary Threshold

Redetermination

120 days from the date of receipt of the initial determination or overpayment demand letter

None

Reconsideration

180 days from the date of receipt of the Medicare Redetermination Notice

None

Administrative Law Judge (ALJ)

60 days from the date of receipt of the reconsideration notice

The amount that must remain in controversy for ALJ hearing requests filed on or before December 31, 2023, is $180. This amount will remain at $180 for ALJ hearing requests filed on or after January 1, 2024.

Departmental Appeals Board (DAB) Review/Appeals Council

60 days from the date of receipt of the ALJ decision/dismissal

None

Federal Court (Judicial) Review

60 days from the date of receipt of the Appeals Council decision or declination of review by DAB

The amount that must remain in controversy for reviews in Federal District Court requested on or before December 31, 2023, is $1,850. This amount will decrease to $1,840 for appeals to Federal District Court filed on or after January 1, 2024.

Serial Claims for Appeals

Once the reason for denial for one claim in a series is resolved, we will identify other claims for certain HCPCS codes in the same series that denied for the same or similar reasons. We will consider this initial determination when adjudicating the similar claims.

Specifically, this process applies to the following situations:

  • Claims with no appeal request
  • Claims pending redeterminations
  • Claims in the series for which a redetermination was issued, but the timeframe to request a reconsideration by the Qualified Independent Contractor (QIC) has not yet elapsed

We will also communicate the favorable decision(s) to the DME QIC and the Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals (OMHA) to consider when adjudicating related appeals pending at those levels.

To view the HCPCS codes that apply to serial claims for appeals, read CMS Change Request (CR)10426External PDF.

Additional Resources:

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