835 Denial Combination

CO-29+N130

CO

Contractual Obligation · Claim + Service Level Adjustment

Timely Filing

What This Combination Means

The claim was denied because it was submitted after the payer's contractual filing deadline. The RARC directs the provider to review the specific plan documents to understand the timely filing requirements that were violated. This is a contractual write-off situation where the provider missed the window allowed under their agreement with the payer.

Financial Responsibility

provider writeoff

The provider must write off the denied amount due to contractual obligations and cannot bill the patient for services denied solely for missing the filing deadline.

N/A

Appeal Success

60-90 days (appeal process)

Avg. Resolution

Hard

Difficulty

No

Appealable

Step-by-Step Resolution

Steps tailored specifically to this CO-29+N130 combination — not generic advice.

Not Appealable:Timely filing denials are not appealable — the claim was not submitted within the payer's required filing window. The correct path is to identify the original submission date and prevent future late filings.
  1. 1

    Obtain and review the specific plan benefit documents referenced in the RARC

    Verify the exact timely filing limit specified in the provider's contract or plan documents for this specific payer and plan type to confirm the deadline that was missed

  2. 2

    Investigate the root cause of the late filing

    Determine whether the delay was due to internal billing processes, payer-related delays (initial claim submission issues, prior authorization delays, corrected claim scenarios), or other extenuating circumstances that constitute good cause

  3. 3

    Prepare and submit an appeal with supporting documentation if good cause exists

    Include evidence such as proof of timely initial submission, documentation of payer processing delays, correspondence showing earlier filing attempts, or other circumstances beyond provider control that caused the late filing

  4. 4

    If no good cause exists, post the contractual write-off

    Adjust the claim off provider accounts receivable as a contractual adjustment and implement process improvements to prevent future timely filing violations for this payer

Specialty Context

How CO-29+N130 typically presents across different practice types.

Dental

Dental timely filing limits often range from 30-365 days depending on the plan; review plan documents carefully as DHMO plans typically have shorter windows than PPO plans

Medical

Medical plans commonly enforce 90-365 day timely filing limits; corrected claims and coordination of benefits scenarios may have different rules outlined in the plan documents referenced

Behavioral Health

Behavioral health claims may have the same timely filing limits as other medical services, but prior authorization delays are a common appealable circumstance when the authorization process extended beyond provider control

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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