This measure reports the average number of days that it took the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to approve advance planning documents (APDs). States submit APDs to receive enhanced federal funding to support their eligibility and enrollment or information technology systems. CMS reviews states’ APD submissions to make sure they comply with the Social Security Act and other related regulations. CMS must approve, disapprove, or issue a formal request for additional information within 60 calendar days. It is important to note that the average number of days for the most recent quarter is a rolling average until all submissions are approved for that quarter.
Data include all APDs approved in the last three quarters of calendar year 2020 and the first quarter of 2021. For each time period, the total number of approvals is shown in bold. The total number of approvals is the denominator for each measure.
Advance Planning Document Processing Times
Line Graph with the categories and values:
| Time Period | Average Number of Days Between Submission and Approval | Number of approvals |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 Q2 | 54 | 97 |
| 2019 Q3 | 52 | 150 |
| 2019 Q4 | 55 | 268 |
| 2020 Q1 | 45 | 93 |
Source: CMS’s analysis of administrative data.
Note: The data for Q1 of 2021 was pulled on June 15, 2021. The figure represents APDs completed and approved as of the run date for that quarter. For the most recent quarter, the average number of days is a rolling average until all submissions are approved for that quarter. For the previous quarters, the figure includes APDs completed and approved by the end of their respective quarter.