To create decisions using an event based date list, the eligibility and entitlement engine simply retrieves the list of events. It then calls the rules engine to create a decision for the eligibility and entitlement engine from date, each one of these dates, and the eligibility and entitlement engine to date. Note, however, the eligibility and entitlement engine does not enhance the date list. This is because only the dates on which decisions may change will be held in the date list.
The event based date list is implemented at the product level. Typically there are two types of dates which are added to this list, core dates and custom dates. Core dates are those that have already been implemented in the core application. These include the case creation date, the certification start date, the date after the certification end date, an evidence tree activation date, and the effective date of a product rule set. Custom dates are dates specific to the product and therefore have to be identified and implemented by the customer.
The main benefit of using the event date list is the reduced number of calls to the rules engine while still capturing the changes in decisions.