North Dakota Human Service Zone Offices: Where to Apply for Medicare Savings
How North Dakota's System Works
North Dakota replaced its old county social service offices with nineteen regional Human Service Zones. These zones handle eligibility determination, document intake, and case management for Medicare Savings Programs and other Medicaid-related benefits.
Alongside the zones, ND HHS runs a centralized Customer Support Center in Bismarck that accepts applications by phone, processes online portal submissions, and routes cases to the appropriate zone.
This dual structure — local zones plus central intake — creates a common confusion point. Families aren't sure whether to send documents to their local zone or to Bismarck, and misrouted paperwork can delay processing.
Where to Submit Applications
Online applications go through the ND HHS Self-Service Portal at apply.nd.gov and are automatically routed to the correct processing queue.
Paper applications (Form SFN 958 or SFN 1909) can be submitted to:
- Any local Human Service Zone office by mail, fax, or in-person delivery. Your zone is determined by the county where your parent lives. If you're not sure which zone covers your county, the Customer Support Center can tell you.
- The Bismarck Customer Support Center by mail (PO Box 5562, Bismarck ND 58506), fax, or phone application (1-866-614-6005, TTY: 711).
Phone applications go through the Customer Support Center. Staff can take the application verbally and mail out forms if your parent needs to sign and return a physical copy.
Customer Support Center Contact Details
- Toll-free phone: 1-866-614-6005
- Local phone: 701-328-1000
- TTY: 711
- Email: [email protected]
- Mailing address: PO Box 5562, Bismarck ND 58506
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Processing After Submission
Whichever channel receives the application, a Human Service Zone eligibility worker handles the actual determination. They verify income and assets against electronic databases (the Federal Data Services Hub, SSA BENDEX, State Data Exchange) and review submitted documentation.
The state must make a decision within 45 calendar days of receiving a complete application. If documentation is missing, the state sends a written request giving 10–14 days to respond.
For Rural Families
If your parent lives in a rural or frontier county, the nearest Human Service Zone office may be a significant drive away. The phone and mail options exist specifically for this situation. Call the Customer Support Center, have them start the application by phone, and mail supporting documents to the zone that gets assigned the case.
For families managing applications from out of state — common when an adult child lives in Minnesota, South Dakota, or further away — the online portal and mail channels work without ever visiting in person.
The North Dakota Medicare Savings Programs & Extra Help Guide maps out the submission routing for each application channel, so documents go to the right place the first time.
Get Your Free North Dakota — Medicare Savings Program Eligibility Checklist
Download the North Dakota — Medicare Savings Program Eligibility Checklist — a printable guide with checklists, scripts, and action plans you can start using today.