Circular 59 of 2021: Quarterly Statutory Returns Submission for 2021
The Council for Medical Scheme (CMS) would like to inform all Principal Officers and statutory return users that the 2021 quarterly statutory return online program will be available here as of 22 October 2021.
The following documentation must be electronically submitted to the CMS to ensure a complete submission of the statutory return:
- The quarterly return document – indicating “Final DD/MM/YYYY” and signed via Signflow;
- Corresponding scheme monthly management accounts;
- CMS standardised electronic monthly management accounts and investment reconciliations; and
- Detailed investment schedules, including a breakdown of all the underlying assets per institution. The detailed investment schedules must reconcile back to the third-party investment statements, copies of which must also be included in the submission. Please also refer to Circular 7 of 2005 in this regard.
With reference to Circular 27 of 2014, schemes should notify the Office of the Registrar about any changes in Part 1 of the statutory return when they take place. Scheme will be given three (3) weeks from date of going live in which to verify/request changes to Part 1. A deadline for changes will be communicated by a circular, on a quarterly basis once the system is live. The deadline for Part 1 changes for the third quarter of 2021 is 12 November 2021.
The Principal Officer, Chairperson, and one other trustee signatory in terms of Section 39 of the Medical Schemes Act 131 of 1998 (the Act) must sign the above-mentioned documents. Medical schemes should note that the CMS will regard the submission of the 2021 quarterly statutory return documentation as incomplete if any of the documents is not signed as required.
In this regard, it is important to note that the signing authority of a Principal Officer and/or Chairperson can only be delegated to a suitable person appointed by the Board of Trustees. The appointment of the Acting Principal Officer should be in line with the provisions of Sections 57(4)(a) and 57(7) of the Act, while the appointment of the Acting Chairperson must be in line with the rules of the scheme.
Where applicable, a copy of the signed Board of Trustee resolution, where another person was appointed, should accompany the 2021 quarterly statutory return.
Schemes must further take note that the Signflow process must be utilised regarding the signing off of the quarterly returns.
Users should also take note of the CMS standardised electronic management accounts template and
Part 10, which was initially communicated in Circular 23 of 2018. Please refer to the quarterly return help file and electronic management accounts help file for more information on completing this template. A link to the latest template that must be used, is included in this circular.
The CMS standardised investment reconciliation was introduced in 2019 and is a requirement for upload in Part 10. For the initial communication regarding this reconciliation, reference must be made to Circular 29 of 2019, which also contained an illustrative example with test data. A link to the latest template that must be used, is included in this circular.
The CMS has published various guidelines on the website in order to provide assistance regarding the completion of Part 3.1: Investments. These publications serve as a guideline only as schemes will have more details available in respect of specific investments and the nature of the underlying assets. It should be noted that the purpose of these Guidelines is to provide guidance on the categorisation of assets in accordance with Annexure B to the Regulations, and not to highlight any non-compliance matters. Schemes should ensure compliance with not only the limitations imposed by Annexure B, but also the various Sections of the Act.
Refer to the CMS website for the following guidelines on the categorisation of assets:
- Registered banks as at 31 December 2020 for Annexure B purposes;
- Securities listed on the JSE as at 31 December 2020: classification for Annexure B purposes;
- Bonds listed on the JSE Debt Market as at 31 December 2020: classification for Annexure B purposes;
- Registered insurers as at 31 December 2020; and
- ASISA list of Collective Investment Schemes as at 30 September 2020.
The CMS has also published the following documents to aid in the identification of Sections 35(8)(c) and (d) non-compliance:
- Accredited third-party administrators and their holding companies as at 31 December 2020; and
- Accredited administrators and its accredited managed care organisations as at 31 December 2020.
Attention is drawn to the provisions of section 66(3) of the Act in terms of which, any medical scheme that fails to furnish the Registrar of Medical Schemes with the prescribed documentation shall be liable to a penalty of R1 400.00 (one thousand Rand) for every day on which the failure to comply continues.
The links to the following files will assist users in completing the quarterly return:
- 2021 Quarterly Return help file.pdf
- 2021 CMS standardised electronic management account help file.pdf
- CMS standardised electronic management account template v1907.xlsx
- CMS standardised investment reconciliation v1908.xlsx
PLEASE NOTE DUE TO THE CHALLENGES OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, ONLY ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION IS REQUIRED.
The submission deadlines for the 2021 quarterly returns are:
| Quarter | Period ended | Go live date | Deadline for submission |
| Quarter 3 of 2021 | 30 September 2021 | 22 October 2021 | 19 November 2021 |
Your co-operation will be highly appreciated.
Download the Circular here.