How long do I have to appeal a denied claim?
Appeal deadlines are set by each payer's contract and plan, and they're short — commonly 30 to 180 days from the remittance date, with 90 or 180 days most typical for commercial plans. Miss the window and the claim is dead no matter how winnable it was, so the deadline, not the merits, is what usually kills a recoverable denial.
What actually matters
- The clock almost always starts on the remittance (EOB/835) date, not the date you noticed the denial
- Commercial windows commonly run 90–180 days; some run as short as 30 — check the specific payer contract and plan
- Medicare redetermination is 120 days; Medicaid varies by state, often 60–90
- Self-funded (ERISA) plans set their own windows in the plan document, and they can be tighter than you expect
- Track the deadline per claim from the remittance date — an appeal filed one day late is an automatic loss
Common questions
What happens if I miss the appeal deadline?
The denial usually stands with no further recourse — a late appeal is denied on timeliness alone, regardless of whether you were right. This is why timely-filing and timely-appeal tracking matters more than appeal skill.
Can you get an appeal deadline extended?
Rarely, and only with good cause (e.g. you never received the remittance, or a documented payer error). Don't count on it — treat the stated window as firm.
Where Volari fits: Volari tracks the appeal clock on every denial from the remittance date, so winnable claims don't age out of their window while they sit in a pile.
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