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N376 Remark Code: Active Duty Member, TRICARE May Be Primary

N376 means the payer's records show the subscriber or patient is assigned to active military duty, so the patient's primary coverage may be TRICARE rather than this plan.

Code: N376 (RARC N376)
Status: Active In use since December 1, 2006.
Code set: Remittance Advice Remark Codes (RARC)
Group codes: CO (Contractual Obligation): The claim was denied pending billing to the correct primary payer. The provider must redirect it; the patient is not billed for this adjustment.
OA (Other Adjustment): Some payers report it as an other adjustment because it is a coordination of benefits issue, not a coverage decision.
Official description: Subscriber/patient is assigned to active military duty, therefore primary coverage may be TRICARE.
X12 Remittance Advice Remark Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified: September 24, 2026 against the official X12 list.

What N376 means

Military service changes a patient’s coverage picture. When a subscriber or patient is on active duty, TRICARE, the military health program, is usually expected to be involved and may be primary. N376 tells you the payer that received your claim believes that is the case, so it won’t pay as though it were first in line.

The remark usually accompanies CARC 22 (another payer may be responsible) or CARC 109 (send to the correct payer).

Common causes

A reservist or guard member was activated and the practice still billed the civilian employer plan first.
The patient didn’t mention military coverage at registration.
The plan’s records show active duty that has since ended.
A family member’s coverage order was set without considering the sponsor’s status.

What to do

Ask the patient about military status and TRICARE enrollment, and get the sponsor information and TRICARE ID.
Verify eligibility with TRICARE for the dates of service.
Bill TRICARE as primary if confirmed, following its authorization and referral requirements. Timely filing limits apply, so act quickly.
Rebill the original plan as secondary with TRICARE’s payment information, if the patient has both.
Correct outdated records. If the patient isn’t on active duty, the patient should contact the plan to update status, and you can request reprocessing.

The eligibility and COB denials guide covers how to set up the order of benefits correctly.

How to prevent it

Add a military coverage question to your registration form and eligibility script. Recheck coverage when patients mention deployment, activation, or separation.

Codes that may appear with N376

OA-22 (This care may be covered by another payer per coordination of benefits.): The care may be covered by another payer under coordination of benefits.
CO-109 (Claim/service not covered by this payer/contractor.): The claim is not covered by this payer and must be sent to the correct one.

N186 (Non-Availability Statement (NAS) required for this service.): Says a Non-Availability Statement is needed, a military health system requirement for some services.
N196 (Alert: Patient eligible to apply for other coverage which may be primary.): An alert that the patient may be eligible for other coverage that could be primary.
N193 (Alert: Specific federal/state/local program may cover this service through another payer.): An alert that a federal, state, or local program may cover the service through another payer.

N376 FAQ

Does active duty status always make TRICARE primary?

For active duty service members, TRICARE generally functions as their coverage. Order of benefits for family members with other insurance can differ, so verify with both payers.

What if the patient is no longer on active duty?

The payer's record may be outdated. Ask the patient for proof of status change and have them update the plan, then request reprocessing.

Do I need special approval to bill TRICARE?

TRICARE has its own authorization and referral rules for some services. Check them before rebilling.

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