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N821 Remark Code: EVV Visit Record Not Found

N821 means the payer could not find an Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) record for the visit on the claim. Without a verified visit, services that require EVV, such as Medicaid personal care and home health, are generally denied.

Quick facts

Code
N821 (RARC N821)
Status
Active In use since July 1, 2019.
Code set
Remittance Advice Remark Codes (RARC)
Group codes
  • CO (Contractual Obligation): The service was denied for missing verification. It's the agency's responsibility and not billable to the member.
Official description
Electronic Visit Verification System visit not found.
X12 Remittance Advice Remark Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified
against the official X12 list.

What N821 means

N821 is the plainest of the EVV remark codes: the payer searched for a verified visit matching your claim and came up empty. For services that require Electronic Visit Verification, the absence of a visit record is enough to deny the line, regardless of what the caregiver’s paper notes say.

Because EVV data often passes from a caregiver’s phone to a vendor system and then to a state aggregator, a visit can go missing at any point along that chain. The claim usually shows CARC 16 alongside N821.

Common causes

  • Visit never captured. The caregiver didn’t clock in or out, or the device was offline.
  • Sync failure. The visit is in the agency’s EVV system but never reached the state aggregator or plan.
  • Matching keys differ. The visit is recorded under a different member ID, provider ID, or service code than the claim.
  • Claim billed before the visit was verified or before visit maintenance was completed.

How to fix it

  1. Search your EVV system for the visit by member, caregiver, and date.
  2. If it exists, confirm it reached the aggregator and that the member ID, provider ID, and service code match the claim. Fix whichever side is wrong.
  3. If it doesn’t exist, check whether your state allows a manual visit entry with a reason code and supporting documentation, and add it if permitted.
  4. Resubmit the claim once the visit shows as verified, using your state’s corrected-claim process.
  5. If the visit can’t be verified, the service generally can’t be billed under EVV rules.

How to prevent it

  • Hold claims until every visit on them is verified in the aggregator, not just in your vendor system.
  • Monitor daily for visits with missing clock-ins or clock-outs and resolve them within the state’s allowed window.
  • Keep service codes and member IDs consistent between EVV and billing.

Codes that may appear with N821

  • CO-16 (Claim/service lacks information or has submission/billing error(s).): Information required for adjudication, the EVV visit, is missing.
  • CO-A1 (Claim/Service denied.): A general denial explained by the remark.
  • N818 (Claims Dates of Service do not match Electronic Visit Verification System.): A visit exists, but its dates don't match the claim.
  • N819 (Patient not enrolled in Electronic Visit Verification System.): The member isn't enrolled in EVV at all.
  • N824 (Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) data must be submitted through EVV Vendor.): The visit was recorded, but not through an approved EVV vendor.

N821 FAQ

The caregiver did the visit. Why is there no record?

The visit may not have been captured, may not have synced from the device or vendor to the state aggregator, or may be stored under a different member or service code.

Can I add a visit manually?

Many EVV systems allow manual visit entry with a documented reason, within limits set by the state. Follow the state's rules and keep supporting documentation.

How is N821 different from N818?

N818 means an EVV visit exists but the dates don't line up with the claim. N821 means the payer couldn't find a matching visit at all.