Issued: March 23, 2026
UM provided a grace period for late submissions of Medicaid SARs for services impacted by the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) from Dec. 1, 2025, to March 1, 2026.
Partners provided a complete list of impacted services in an Oct. 8, 2025, Provider Alert titled CMS-Approved NQTLs: Staggered Implementation Plan and Provider Guidance. Click here to read that provider alert.
What is changing?
- Effective March 1, all SARs should be submitted prior to or on the first day of service except for true retroactive Medicaid requests.
- SARs submitted late are considered invalid and may be returned as Unable to Process.
What do providers need to know?
Providers should become familiar with authorization requirements and guidelines by consulting the Behavioral Health Medicaid Benefit Grid.
What do providers need to do?
- Providers should submit SARs in a timely manner.
- Providers should provide an explanation for true retroactive Medicaid requests in the notes section of the SAR for consideration.
Who can providers contact with questions?
If providers have questions, they can contact:
Updated: