We are pleased to announce the Certified Application Counselor Designated Organization (CDO) Application web form is now live and will remain available year-round!

CDOs are a vital component of the assister community. In states with a Federally-facilitated Marketplace (FFM), CDOs oversee Certified Application Counselors (CACs), who are annually trained and able to help consumers seeking health coverage options through the Marketplace.

Help us spread the word – the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) invites new applicant organizations who want to become CDOs to apply.

This announcement applies only to organizations that:

• Wish to apply to the CDO program operating in an FFM state, and
• Do not currently have an active CMS-CDO agreement with CMS

Organizations with an active CMS-CDO agreement should disregard this message. If you are unsure if your organization has an active CMS-CDO agreement with CMS, please contact us at[email protected].

Only organizations that complete the two steps below and receive a CDO ID from CMS can certify staff or volunteers as CACs in an FFM state to provide enrollment assistance services.

To apply to become a CDO:

1. Access and complete the CDO Application at https://mats.secure.force.com/CDOApplication/. CMS will review your application and send a determination email with your application status. Please allow up to 10 business days for this review.
2. If CMS approves your application, your leadership contacts will receive a Preliminary Approval email.
3. Your Organization Senior Official (OSO) listed on your application will receive an email from DocuSign containing directions and a link to your CMS-CDO Agreement and must sign using DocuSign.
4. Please be sure to check your spam/junk folder and add [email protected] and  DocuSign email [email protected] to your approved senders list.
5. CMS will then review your signed agreement and send your leadership contacts a determination email. If CMS approves your agreement, you will receive a Welcome Packet email with a unique CDO ID and next steps. Please allow up to 5 business days for this review.

Resources for CDO Applicants

For an overview of the CDO Program and resources that walk users through the CDO application, please visit:

• CDO Application Information – information about who should apply and how to apply.
• CDO Program Information – information about who can become a CDO and CDO role responsibilities.

For questions or updates, you can email [email protected]. Please include your organization’s name and address in the body of your email.

Marketplace Assister Community Support Team

Center for Consumer Information & Insurance Oversight (CCIIO)

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS)