Federal Requirements for the Independent Informal Dispute Resolution (Independent IDR) Process for N

State survey agencies (SAs) must have in place a functioning Independent IDR process with specific elements by no later than January 1, 2012. The Independent IDR process must be offered to nursing homes for deficiencies that lead to the imposition of a civil money penalty (CMP) and for which notice has been provided to the nursing home that the CMP will be collected and placed in escrow. : States must submit, by no later than November 30, 2011, a process for Independent IDR to the appropriate Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Regional Office (RO) for approval. Standard cost allocation methods for long term care surveys apply to the costs of the Independent IDR process, although the initial set-up and initial training expenses were eligible for one-time funds in FY2011. States should submit a FY2012 estimated budget plan for costs associated with this process.