The continuing closure of the U.S. federal government is significantly affecting work with the following agencies:
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services*
Veterans’ Affairs
Tricare
The shutdown of these offices means that most of their collections staff have been furloughed, and are prohibited from working even if those employees are willing to do so on an unpaid, voluntary basis. The Garretson Resolution Group planned for the shutdown and is working with remaining government staff to minimize the shutdown’s impact on your cases. Please note that collections activities have not ceased entirely, but communications with the agencies have slowed
*Despite the shutdown, your clients’ Medicare and Medicaid benefits will continue to be paid for the time being, and Medicare Secondary Payer Recovery Contractors and Coordination of Benefits Contractors are open for business and fully operational. Cases being handled directly by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (including its regional offices) however are currently being impacted by the shutdown. If there are questions about whether your cases are affected, please contact GRG.
In terms of military agencies, all Veterans’ Affairs medical facilities will remain open, but most public contact services for regional offices and hotlines are unavailable. Additionally, the Board of Veterans’ Appeals will not issue any decisions on claims appeals.
The Garretson team will continue to update you as more information becomes available. If you have any questions, please contact us at (704) 559-4300.
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