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September 19, 2025
We are pleased to invite assisters to take the Plan Year (PY) 2026 Assister Certification Training beginning today, September 19, 2025. In preparation for the Marketplace PY 2026 Open Enrollment Period, which begins November 1, 2025, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has updated the Assister Certification Training curriculum.
This training is hosted on the Marketplace Learning Management System (MLMS); the online web-based training platform for assisters providing application and enrollment assistance to consumers in Federally-Facilitated Marketplaces (FFMs) and State-based Marketplaces using the Federal platform. The MLMS can be accessed through the CMS Enterprise Portal.
Required ID Validation for MLMS Access
All new assisters (Certified Application Counselors (CACs), Navigators, and State Based Exchange-Federal Platform Assisters) will need to verify their identity on the CMS Portal to access Assister Certification Training on the MLMS. Launch of Plan Year 2026 FFM Assister Certification Training provides an overview of how to register as a new assister using the Identity Verification process, or login as a returning assister. Please review the guide before taking training. If you have taken Assister Certification Training in the past, and already have a CMS Portal account, please DO NOT create another account, simply log in.
Use of Navigator ID
When registering for the PY 2026 Navigator training on the MLMS training platform, all individual Navigators should ensure that they use the unique Navigator ID number assigned to them by their CMS Navigator grantee organization. Please note: Your Navigator ID needs to first be listed in the Navigator Roster in the Marketplace Assister Community (MAC) to access training. If you receive an error message about your ID, please check with your organization before proceeding, or email FFMAssisterCommunity@cms.hhs.gov.
Use of CAC ID
Prior to registering for the PY 2026 Assister Certification Training, CACs should ensure they are using a CAC ID number issued to them by their Certified Application Counselor Designated Organization (CDO). Please note: Your CAC ID needs to first be listed on the CAC Roster within the Organizational Maintenance Web Form (OMWF) to access training. If you receive an error message about your ID, please check with your organization before proceeding, or email cacquestions@cms.hhs.gov.
New organizations that apply to become CDOs and are approved to operate as CDOs during PY 2026 should instruct their CACs to wait to take the PY 2026 CAC training until they have been issued a CAC ID number by their organization and added to the CAC Roster within the OMWF.
When registering for the PY 2026 CAC training, all CACs should enter their CAC ID number in the CAC ID field on the “Welcome to the MLMS” profile page. This will ensure your organization remains compliant with the terms and conditions of your CMS-CDO Agreement. Each CDO must have at least one certified CAC on their CAC Roster to remain in the CDO Program. Please remember to have consumers document your CACs’ IDs on their enrollments on HealthCare.gov to link the enrollments to the appropriate CDO.
Please note: There will not be a returning curriculum for returning assisters this year. Every assister will need to complete the full curriculum to be certified.
Dual Assisters
Assisters may be serving in dual roles and are able to be certified as such. If you are both a Navigator and a CAC, on the “Welcome to the MLMS” profile page, select both Navigator and CAC roles and document your corresponding IDs in the appropriate fields to register for training. Once you submit, you will be taken to the curriculum page and will notice that both Navigator and CAC curriculums are present. You only need to complete one curriculum to be certified. Choose one curriculum and complete the modules. Once completed, print your certificate. To be certified for both assister types, return to your curriculum page and enroll in the next curriculum (you need only to enroll and print your second certificate). Once enrolled, your progress from the previous curriculum will transfer over and you will be able to print your second certificate for your other assister type. Please do NOT uncheck one of your assister types prior to printing your second certificate! If you are serving as both a Navigator and a CAC, both need to be checked to get credit for training.
You can find training presentations and additional resources, such as Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and MLMS Quick Reference Guides at the following link: Assister Training Materials.
Resources
Contact Information
For additional assistance with questions, please submit inquiries to the appropriate helpdesk listed below. Please try to include screenshots of your issue when possible to assist with troubleshooting.
MLMS Helpdesk
For questions on the MLMS assister training, please submit inquiries to MLMSHelpDesk@cms.hhs.gov
- Contact for the following issues:
- Issues printing or viewing completion certificate
- Issues finding the correct curriculum to take
- Issues with training not launching or proceeding to the next segment
- Enrolled in the WRONG training
CMS Portal Helpdesk
For questions on password resets and access to MLMS, please submit inquiries to CMS_FEPS@cms.hhs.gov Monday−Friday 9:00 AM−5:30 PM Eastern Time or contact the Marketplace Service Desk at 1-855-267-1515 or 1-855-CMS-1515 Monday−Friday from 8:00 AM-8:00 PM Eastern Time.
- Contact for the following issues:
- CMS Portal User ID or Password issues
- Can’t get your MFA code
- Unable to pass Identity Verification Process (call number above)
- No access to the MLMS training tile
- Updates to CMS Portal User ID (name issues, etc.)
CAC Questions Helpdesk
CACs with general questions about Assister Certification Training should contact CACQuestions@CMS.hhs.gov.
- Contact for the following issues:
- Issues not resolved by other helpdesks
- Issues with CAC Roster
- Issues with CAC ID number
Navigator Helpdesk
For assistance with Navigator program questions, please submit inquiries to your CMS project officer or FFMAssisterCommunity@cms.hhs.gov.
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