J6
Wellpoint Federal, Jurisdiction 6
Wellpoint Federal (formerly National Government Services) is the home health and hospice contractor for Jurisdiction 6: AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, MI, MN, NV, NJ, NY, OR, WA, WI, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Official pages: Wellpoint Federal FAQ on the name change
Recent J6 bulletins
| Date | Contractor | States | Benefit | What changed | Primary source | Our coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-02 | Wellpoint Federal J6 | J6 HH+H: AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, MI, MN, NV, NJ, NY, OR, WA, WI, PR, USVI, Guam, American Samoa, N. Mariana Is. | Hospice | Mandatory hospice election addendum takes effect for elections on or after Oct 1, 2026 (91 FR 49118); enforcement discretion Oct 1 to Dec 31, 2026, with no denials solely for a missing or incomplete addendum | provider.wellpointfederal.com/web/provider/news- | |
| 2026-04-01 | Wellpoint Federal (formerly NGS) | J6 and JK states | Both | National Government Services began operating under the name Wellpoint Federal; Wellpoint says contacts, teams and services are unchanged | wellpointfederal.com/about-us/frequently-asked-q |
National CMS instructions that every contractor carries out
| Date | Contractor | States | Benefit | What changed | Primary source | Our coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-09 | All MACs | All | Hospice | MM14227 revised: long-stay hospice edits that were switched off return with bypasses for transfers and changes of ownership; eff. 2027-04-01, impl. 2027-04-05 (R13997OTN, CR 14622, issued 2026-10-08) | cms.gov/files/document/mm14227-long-term-hospice | Our story |
| 2026-10-08 | All MACs | All | HH | R13996OTN: fixes "NOA not found" returns (reason code 19963) when an older NOA was purged from FISS; eff. 2027-04-01, impl. 2027-04-05; no MLN Matters article found | cms.gov/files/document/r13996otn.pdf | Our story |
| 2026-10-09 | All MACs | All | HH | MM14639 / R13988CP (CR 14639): January 2027 HH consolidated billing code update removes A4453 and A4459; eff. 2027-01-01, impl. 2027-01-04 | cms.gov/files/document/mm14639-hcpcs-codes-used- | Our story |
| 2026-10-08 | All MACs | All | Both | MLN Connects: HETS users must verify their email by December 1, 2026 to avoid rejected eligibility requests | cms.gov/training-education/medicare-learning-net | |
| 2026-10-01 | All MACs | All | Hospice | MLN Connects: initial implementation of the mandatory hospice election statement addendum (furnish within 5 calendar days of election; updates within 3 days of a plan of care change; enforcement discretion through Dec 31, 2026) | cms.gov/training-education/medicare-learning-net | |
| 2026-09-30 | All MACs | All | Hospice | Federal Register correction to the FY 2027 hospice wage index and payment rate final rule; eff. 2026-10-01 (FR doc 2026-20067) | federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/30/2026-20 | |
| 2026-09-30 | All MACs | All | Hospice | R13976CP (CR 14557): FY 2027 hospice payment rates, cap, wage index and Pricer update; eff. 2026-10-01, impl. 2026-10-05 | cms.gov/files/document/r13976cp.pdf | |
| 2026-09-30 | All MACs | All | HH | R13974CP (CR 14631): January 2027 quarterly HH Grouper update; eff. 2027-01-01, impl. 2027-01-04 | cms.gov/files/document/r13974cp.pdf | |
| 2026-09-30 | All MACs | All | HH | R13972PI (CR 14627): Program Integrity Manual chapter 6 HH sections updated to include allowed practitioners; eff. and impl. 2026-11-02 | cms.gov/files/document/r13972pi.pdf |
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Informational only, not medical, billing, legal or clinical advice. Check the linked primary source and your Medicare Administrative Contractor.