2024 Evidence of Coverage for UnitedHealthcare® Group Medicare Advantage PEBB Complete (PPO) Chapter 9: What to do if you have a problem or complaint (coverage decisions, appeals, complaints) 197 Section 4.2 How to get help when you are asking for a coverage decision or making an appeal Here are resources if you decide to ask for any kind of coverage decision or appeal a decision: · You can call us at Customer Service. You can get free help from your State Health Insurance Assistance Program. · · Your doctor can make a request for you. If your doctor helps with an appeal past Level 2, they will need to be appointed as your representative. Please call Customer Service and ask for the “Appointment of Representative” form. (The form is also available on Medicare’s website at www.cms.gov/Medicare/CMS-Forms/CMSForms/downloads/cms1696.pdf.) - For medical care or Part B prescription drugs, your doctor can request a coverage decision or a Level 1 appeal on your behalf. If your appeal is denied at Level 1, it will be automatically forwarded to Level 2. - For Part D prescription drugs, your doctor or other prescriber can request a coverage decision or a Level 1 appeal on your behalf. If your Level 1 appeal is denied your doctor or prescriber can request a Level 2 appeal. · You can ask someone to act on your behalf. If you want to, you can name another person to act for you as your “representative” to ask for a coverage decision or make an appeal. - If you want a friend, relative, or another person to be your representative, call Customer Service and ask for the “Appointment of Representative” form. (The form is also available on Medicare’s website at www.cms.gov/Medicare/CMS-Forms/CMS-Forms/downloads/cms1696.pdf .) The form gives that person permission to act on your behalf. It must be signed by you and by the person who you would like to act on your behalf. You must give us a copy of the signed form. - While we can accept an appeal request without the form, we cannot begin or complete our review until we receive it. If we do not receive the form within 44 calendar days after receiving your appeal request (our deadline for making a decision on your appeal), your appeal request will be dismissed. If this happens, we will send you a written notice explaining your right to ask the independent review organization to review our decision to dismiss your appeal. · You also have the right to hire a lawyer. You may contact your own lawyer, or get the name of a lawyer from your local bar association or other referral service. There are also groups that will give you free legal services if you qualify. However, you are not required to hire a lawyer to ask for any kind of coverage decision or appeal a decision. Section 4.3 Which section of this chapter gives the details for your situation? There are four different situations that involve coverage decisions and appeals. Since each situation has different rules and deadlines, we give the details for each one in a separate section: · Section 5 of this chapter: “Your medical care: How to ask for a coverage decision or make an appeal”