A Scope of Appointment (SOA) documents that a beneficiary agreed, ahead of time, to discuss specific Medicare plan types with you. It protects the client and proves you stayed in bounds. Get it wrong and an otherwise good sale becomes a compliance problem.
The essentials
When you need one
Before any personal marketing or sales appointment to discuss Medicare Advantage or Part D plans. Secure it before you discuss specific plans.
What it captures
The specific plan type or types the beneficiary agrees to discuss. You may discuss only the types they selected.
How long it lasts
Valid for 12 months from the date it is signed.
Recordkeeping
Keep the completed SOA on file. You must be able to produce it.
Timing: the 48-hour rule is changing
Through September 30, 2026: the SOA must be documented at least 48 hours before the appointment, with limited exceptions such as a beneficiary-initiated walk-in or the final days of a valid enrollment period.
Starting October 1, 2026: the 48-hour advance requirement is removed. An SOA is still required before discussing plans, just without the wait. Do not adopt the new timing before October 1.
What keeps you clean
- Discuss only the plan types on the SOA. To discuss a new type, collect a new SOA first.
- Remember the SOA is not permission to contact. You still need prior permission to reach out.
- Match the SOA to the appointment: right beneficiary, right date, right plan types.
- Retain every SOA, including ones where no sale resulted.
Common mistakes
- Drifting into a plan type the beneficiary did not agree to discuss.
- Treating the SOA as consent to call or door-knock.
- Collecting it after the appointment has already started.
TrustInsure is a licensed health insurance agency and is not affiliated with any government agency.