Medicare Advantage Notice Rules: Regulation vs. Handbook Dates

42 CFR § 422.111 uses the Annual Coordinated Election Period as the timing reference for specified Medicare Advantage disclosures and January coverage changes. The CMS “Medicare & You 2026” handbook separately states September 30 for a printed Annual Notice of Change and October 15 for an Evidence of Coverage notice. This article reports each source’s own timing language without treating them as one deadline.

This original record-reading guide is a general reading aid, not cited evidence. It does not depict a source record; the article text and source links provide the facts.

Key points

• 42 CFR § 422.111 ties MA disclosure timing to the Annual Coordinated Election Period, not a fixed calendar date.
• The same regulation requires 15 days’ notice before that period for January 1 coverage changes.
• The CMS “Medicare & You 2026” handbook tells readers plans send the Annual Notice of Change by September 30.
• The same handbook says plans send the Evidence of Coverage by October 15.
• The regulation and handbook state their timing in different forms.

Regulation’s relational deadline

42 CFR § 422.111 sets the baseline disclosure timing requirement in relational terms, tied to a recurring election period rather than a specific date on the calendar. The regulation states that plans must provide required disclosure information “at the time of enrollment and at least annually thereafter, by the first day of the annual coordinated election period” (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-422.111).

The same regulation also addresses the specific case of coverage changes that take effect the following January. For those changes, it requires plans to “notify all enrollees at least 15 days before the beginning of the Annual Coordinated Election Period defined in section 1851(e)(3)(B) of the Act” (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-422.111). Both regulatory provisions define the deadline by its relationship to the Annual Coordinated Election Period, not by naming a fixed date such as September 30 or October 15.

Handbook’s fixed dates

The “Medicare & You 2026” handbook states specific calendar dates for named plan materials. For the Annual Notice of Change, it states: “Includes any changes in coverage, costs, and more that will be effective in January. Your plan will send you a printed copy by September 30” (https://www.medicare.gov/publications/10050-medicare-and-you.pdf).

For the Evidence of Coverage, the handbook states: “Your plan will send you a notice (or printed copy) by October 15” (https://www.medicare.gov/publications/10050-medicare-and-you.pdf).

Two date frameworks

The regulation defines the quoted deadlines by reference to the Annual Coordinated Election Period, while the handbook states September 30 and October 15 directly. This article does not calculate or confirm a relationship between those timings; it reports the regulation’s wording and the handbook’s wording separately.

This article does not address what any specific Medicare Advantage plan changed in its 2026 coverage, costs, or benefits, and it does not tell a reader what to do with a notice once it arrives.

Readers with questions about their own plan’s specific changes or about how to respond to a notice should consult their plan’s actual notice or contact their plan directly; that information is outside what these two source records settle.

Source links

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-422.111 https://www.medicare.gov/publications/10050-medicare-and-you.pdf