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To improve implementation of parity in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Program (CHIP), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has developed a new set of templates and instructional guides for state agencies to document how mental health and substance use disorder benefits provided through a state’s Medicaid managed care program, Medicaid alternative benefit plans, and/or CHIP comply with Medicaid and CHIP Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act Final Rule requirements. These new tools are intended to standardize, streamline, and strengthen the process for states to demonstrate, and for CMS to determine, compliance with, mental health/substance use disorder parity requirements in coverage and delivery of state Medicaid and CHIP benefits.

CMS is seeking preliminary comments on these templates and instructional guides through this informal request for comment and intends to take these comments into account before finalizing these tools. Furthermore, CMS plans to seek approval for the use of these tools from the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. § 3501) before issuing these templates and instructional guides for use by managed care plans and states that will be mandatory for meeting requirements at 42 CFR §§438.3(n)(2), 438.920, 457.496, and 440.395.