WCMSA and Revision of the Low Dollar Threshold for Medicare Beneficiaries
DATE: April 25, 2006
FROM: Director Financial Services Group, Office of Financial Management
SUBJECT: Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside Arrangements (WCMSAs) and Revision of the Low Dollar Threshold for Medicare Beneficiaries
TO: All Regional Administrators
The purpose of this memorandum is to replace Q/A #2 of the July 11, 2005 Memorandum with regard to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS’) low dollar WCMSA threshold for Medicare beneficiaries. Effective with the issuance of this memorandum, CMS will only review new WCMSA proposals for Medicare beneficiaries where the total settlement amount is greater than $25,000.00. The CMS wishes to stress that this is a CMS workload review threshold and not a substantive dollar or “safe harbor” threshold. Medicare beneficiaries must still consider Medicare’s interests in all WC cases and ensure that Medicare is secondary to WC in such cases.
Note that the computation of the total settlement amount includes, but is not limited to, wages, attorney fees, all future medical expenses (including prescription drugs) and repayment of any Medicare conditional payments. Payout totals for all annuities to fund the above expenses should be used rather than cost or present values of any annuities. Also note that any previously settled portion of the WC claim must be included in computing the total settlement amount.
Also note that both the beneficiary and non-beneficiary review thresholds are subject to adjustment. Claimants, employers, carriers and their representatives should regularly monitor the CMS website at www.cms.hhs.gov/WorkersCompAgencyServices for changes to these thresholds and for other changes in policies and procedures.
