CARC 26 denial code: meaning & whether to appeal (verified)
What CARC 26 means
Expenses incurred prior to coverage.
Verbatim description from the official X12 Claim Adjustment Reason Codes list.
Classification
Denial class: eligibility
Appealability verdict
Appealable — eligibility
What to know
Worth appealing when coverage was actually active on the date of service — an eligibility verification or payer-portal record for that date is the core evidence. If the patient genuinely had no coverage, an appeal cannot fix it.