835 Denial Combination

CO-29+M76

CO

Contractual Obligation · Claim-Level Adjustment

Timely Filing

What This Combination Means

This claim was denied because it was filed after the payer's deadline, but the payer also identified that the diagnosis or condition information submitted was missing, incomplete, or invalid. The RARC provides supplemental context indicating a data quality issue existed on the late claim, though the primary denial reason is the missed filing deadline.

Financial Responsibility

provider writeoff

The provider must write off the denied amount due to contractual obligations. The patient cannot be billed for services denied under timely filing requirements.

N/A

Appeal Success

Immediate (write-off)

Avg. Resolution

Easy

Difficulty

No

Appealable

Step-by-Step Resolution

Steps tailored specifically to this CO-29+M76 combination — not generic advice.

Not Appealable:Timely filing denials with CO group code are contractual adjustments that are not subject to appeal once the filing deadline has passed.
  1. 1

    Verify the claim submission date against the payer's contracted timely filing limit

    Confirm the claim was indeed filed late and document the payer's specific timely filing window to validate the denial

  2. 2

    Document the diagnosis/condition data quality issue noted in M76 for future prevention

    Identify what diagnosis information was missing, incomplete, or invalid to prevent recurrence on future claims

  3. 3

    Process the contractual write-off and implement timely filing controls

    Adjust the account to write off the denied amount and strengthen claim submission workflows to prevent future timely filing expirations

Specialty Context

How CO-29+M76 typically presents across different practice types.

Dental

Dental claims often have shorter timely filing windows (90-180 days). Ensure diagnosis codes for medical necessity procedures are complete at time of service to avoid both issues.

Medical

Medical claims require valid ICD-10 diagnosis codes. This combo suggests the claim was both late and had diagnosis coding defects, indicating potential workflow gaps in charge capture or claims scrubbing processes.

Behavioral Health

Behavioral health claims require specific DSM-5/ICD-10 diagnosis codes. Late filing combined with invalid diagnosis codes may indicate delays in clinical documentation completion impacting billing timelines.

Individual Code References

View the standalone definition for each code in this combination.

Medicare Contractor Guidance for CARC 29

Noridian + uhc + aetna + bcbs_az

The time limit for filing has expired. Claims must be filed within one year of the date of service. If an act of nature, such as a flood, fire, or there are other circumstances outside of the supplier's control, you can appeal the timely filing, by providing this explanation.

How to Prevent CARC 29 Denials

  • Review the date of service prior to submitting the claim. All claims must be filed within one year of the date of service.

  • Reopenings must be submitted one year from initial determination date or after one year from receipt date due to overpayment via clerical error omissions

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Synthesized from official definitions — not from training data

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