Issued by: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

Issue Date: November 13, 2014

Program Area: Reinsurance-Contributions (RIC)

Question: How can entities view the Comma Separated Value (CSV) file to check if data is correct?

Answer: Applicable to All Reinsurance Contributions Benefit Years: The CSV file created by the Supporting Documentation Job Aid will appear in the form of a Microsoft Excel workbook in Windows Explorer when opened with Microsoft Excel. If an entity opens a CSV file in Microsoft Excel, it will not appear correctly because Excel automatically truncates zeros in anything that appears to be a number. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recommends viewing the file in Microsoft Notepad to review its accuracy. If an entity would like to view the CSV file outside of an Excel workbook, the entity should perform the following steps: 1) Using Windows Explorer, or a similar program, navigate to the folder where you saved the CSV file you created using the Supporting Documentation Job Aid. 2) Right-click the CSV file and place the cursor over the 'Open with' option. 3). Select the Notepad option on the 'Open with' menu. Notepad will open the file, and the entity you will see the data with commas separating each value. If an entity would simply like to confirm that the file is in the correct CSV file layout, the entity should perform the following steps: 1) Right-click the CSV file created using the Supporting Documentation Job Aid. 2). Select the 'Properties' option. The Properties window opens. 3) Under the General tab, locate 'Type of file:' field. 4) The 'Type of file:' should display Microsoft Excel Comma Separated Values File (CSV). Once the Supporting Documentation (.CSV file) is uploaded to Pay.gov, the entity can view the file prior to moving forward with scheduling payment by clicking on the file name. The uploaded CSV file will appear in a new internet window or tab depending on your browser version.

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