How to Renew Medicare Savings Program in Alaska: GEN-72 and Ex Parte Review

Your parent's Medicare Savings Program coverage in Alaska doesn't last forever without action. DPA conducts annual eligibility redeterminations, and a missed renewal form can put benefits that took months to set up at risk.

How Ex Parte Review Works

DPA tries to renew MSP coverage automatically first. The agency checks state wage databases, SSA data feeds, and unearned income records. If these sources confirm your parent still qualifies, DPA renews benefits without requiring paper forms.

If ex parte review confirms ongoing eligibility, DPA renews benefits without requiring paper forms. Check the notice or contact DPA if you're unsure whether coverage continued.

What Happens When You Get a GEN-72

If DPA can't verify eligibility through automated data sources, they mail an Eligibility Review Form (GEN-72) to the enrollee's address on file. This is the recertification notice, and it comes with a firm deadline.

You have 30 days from the date printed on the notice to complete, sign, and return the GEN-72 with updated income and asset documentation. Missing the deadline can put coverage at risk; contact DPA promptly if you need more time or have missed it.

Return options: submit through Alaska Connect (the online portal), mail to the address on the form, fax, or drop it off at a DPA field office. Alaska Connect gives you a submission confirmation and upload timestamp — paper mail to rural areas can take two to four weeks each way.

Documents to Include With Renewal

Attach updated versions of the same documentation from the original application:

• Most recent Social Security award letter (especially important after January COLA increases)
• Current month bank statements for all accounts
• Any changes in pension, employment, or household composition

DPA evaluates gross income, not net. If your parent's Social Security went up with the January COLA, that higher gross amount is what DPA sees — but there's a protection built in.

The COLA Disregard Window

Between January 1 and March 31 each year, DPA is required to disregard the annual Social Security cost-of-living adjustment when evaluating MSP eligibility. Alaska's MSP income tables don't update until April 1, so this disregard prevents beneficiaries from losing coverage during the three-month gap between the federal COLA and the state limit update.

If your parent's renewal falls in that January-through-March window and the COLA pushed their income over the current threshold, the disregard should protect them. Point this out if DPA sends an adverse notice during that period.

Don't Wait for the Form

Keep your parent's address current with DPA. A GEN-72 mailed to an old address gets no response, which DPA treats as failure to recertify. Update address changes through Alaska Connect or by calling 1-800-478-7778.

The Alaska Medicare Savings Programs & Extra Help Guide includes a renewal calendar that tracks key dates — when to expect the GEN-72, the response deadline, and the income limit update — so nothing catches you off guard.

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