Details
A Scope of Appointment (SOA) is a form that a beneficiary fills out, signs and dates giving permission to 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 are wanting to discuss during the appointment. The products discussed are limited to only what’s recorded on the signed SOA.
SOA can be a:
Informational Documents
SOA Guidelines & Timelines
At least 48 hours prior to the appointment taking place.
Exceptions to the 48 hour rule include:
- 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 prior to 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 prior to talking about plan options.
How long is the SOA valid?
SOA is valid for a 12-month time period from the beneficiary’s signature date. If the appointment needs to be rescheduled or the beneficiary wants time after the appointment to think about their options, agents may use the same SOA within the 12-month period.
Other things to note about SOA’s:
- 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.