2020 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) LDS Research Files are Now Available

CMS is pleased to announce the availability of the 2020 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) LDS research files.  Documentation related to the 2020 MCBS Survey File is also now available and can be found on the MCBS website, 2020 MCBS Survey File.  New to the MCBS for 2020 is a series of questions related to Medicare beneficiaries’ cognitive functioning.

Requests for the 2020 MCBS LDS files must be made through the CMS DUA tracking system (EPPE). EPPE can be used to initiate a new LDS DUA request or to amend/update an existing LDS DUA. Requests for the 2020 MCBS should include the “2020 MCBS Survey File Only” or the “2020 MCBS Survey File Plus Cost Supplement” depending on which product you need (a follow-up notification will be sent later in the year when the 2020 MCBS Cost Supplement becomes available).  Instructions for accessing and using EPPE to make a request can be found here: https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Files-for-Order/Data-Disclosures-Data-Agreements/DUA_-_NewLDS.

All shipments of MCBS data will be sent from CMS’s data fulfillment contractor, Health APT.  Those who have already updated their DUA to include the 2020 MCBS data will have their data automatically shipped and should be on the lookout for a package from Health APT.