Companion Guide to the

X12N 834 (004010X095A1)

Benefit Enrollment
& Maintenance Transaction
April 1, 2005
Overview
The UnitedHealth Group X12N 834 (004010X095A1) companion guide has been written to assist you in
designing and implementing 834 transaction sets to meet UnitedHealth Group's processing standards.
The companion guide must be used in conjunction with the Benefit Enrollment & Maintenance (834)
instructions as set forth by the National Electronic Data Interchange Transaction Set Implementation
Guide (2000) & Addenda, October 2002.

The UnitedHealth Group companion guide identifies key data elements from each of the transaction sets
that we request you provide to us. Wherever possible, specific reference to page number, loop ID, and
segment are identified. File layout examples are also included. The recommendations made are to enable
you to more effectively complete EDI transactions with UnitedHealth Group.

For more information regarding the National Electronic Data Interchange Transaction Set Implementation
Guide & Addenda--Benefit Enrollment & Maintenance (834), consult the Washington Publishing Company
web site at http://www.wpc-edi.com.

X12N 834 Companion Guide Page 2

General Information
Appendix A (ASC X12 Nomenclature) of the Implementation Guide explains the transaction set structure of the
834 file, including descriptions of segments, data elements, levels and loops. 834 files are built using
transaction sets containing segments of data related to that transaction. Each segment contains detailed data
elements. In traditional file layouts, the segments would be equivalent to records and the elements are
equivalent to fields within that record. Similar transaction sets are bound together as a "functional group" and
then submitted together as a file transmission.

Below is an overview of the construction of the 834 file layout, with headers, trailers, transactions sets, and
segment detail.

ISA INTERCHANGE HEADER

HEADERS

GS FUNCTIONAL GROUP HEADER

FUNCTIONAL GROUP
TRANSACTION SET
ST
TRANSACTION SET

HEADER

DETAIL
SEGMENTS

DETAIL
SEGMENTS

TRANSACTION SET
TRAILERS

SE TRAILER

GE FUNCTIONAL GROUP TRAILER

IEA INTERCHANGE TRAILER

Also attached is a sample of the transaction set included in a 834 file. Carriage returns (inserted after
each tilde (~) have been included for ease of viewing the file. The 834 file is normally sent as a wrapped
file. The sample file below also contains an example of the header and trailer records. This sample is best
viewed using TextPad or UltraEdit.

"Sample X12N
834.txt"

File Delimiters
UnitedHealth Group requests that you use the following delimiters on your 834 file. If used as delimiters,
these characters (* ~ :) must not be submitted within the data content of the transaction sets.

X12N 834 Companion Guide Page 3

 Data Element: The first element separator following the ISA will define what Data Element
Delimiter is used throughout the entire transaction. The recommended Data Element
Delimiter is an asterisk (*).

Segment: The last position in the ISA will define what Segment Element Delimiter is used
throughout the entire transaction. The recommended Segment Delimiter is a tilde (~).

Component-Element: Element ISA16 will define what Component-Element Delimiter is used

throughout the entire transaction. The recommended Component-Element Delimiter is a
colon (:).

UnitedHealth Group prefers that only the following displayable characters be used as delimiters when
submitting data to us:

~ tilde > greater than sign ] right bracket

* asterisk < less than sign [ left bracket
! exclamation . period } right brace
" quotation , comma { left brace
& ampersand : colon \ backslash
' apostrophe ; semi-colon / forward slash
() parentheses ? question mark | pipe
+ plus sign = equals sign _ underscore
- minus sign % percent sign @ at sign

UnitedHealth Group strongly discourages the use of non–printable characters such as a carriage return or
a line feed because they can cause problems during the transmission or conversion process.

File Specifications
UnitedHealth Group has put together the following grid to assist you in designing and programming the
information we need in order to apply your 834 file into our Electronic Eligibility Management System.
Please note the element minimum and maximum lengths on the far right hand column. Some elements
are required (R) on your file. Any elements that are situational (S) are noted as such.

R = Required
S = Situational

Some of the examples used within this table are bolded for clarity and emphasis only.
No text should be bolded in your file submission.

ELEMENT
SEG ELEMENT ELEMENT ELEMENT
R/S MIN/MAX
ID ID VALUES DESCRIPTION
LENGTH

HEADER LOOP - ISA SEGMENT - INTERCHANGE CONTROL HEADER - PAGE B.3

ISA 01 – Interchange Control 00 Authorization Information Qualifier R 2/2
Header
ISA 02 – Authorization Information (assigned by the Customer Authorization Information R 10/10
and/or TPA)

Recommendation: 10 blank
spaces.

X12N 834 Companion Guide Page 4

 ELEMENT
SEG ELEMENT ELEMENT ELEMENT
R/S MIN/MAX
ID ID VALUES DESCRIPTION
LENGTH
ISA 03 – Security Information 00 Authorization Information Qualifier R 2/2
Qualifier
ISA 04 – Security Information (assigned by the Customer Authorization information R 10/10
and/or TPA)

Recommendation: 10 blank
spaces.
ISA 05 – Interchange ID Qualifier (assigned by the Customer Interchange ID Qualifier R 2/2
and/or TPA)

Recommendation: 30, which

means US Federal Tax ID.
ISA 06 - Interchange Sender ID (assigned by the Customer Interchange Sender ID R 15/15
and/or TPA)
This element must be padded with
Recommendation: If ISA05 blanks.
= 30, this should be the
customer or TPA's Federal
Tax ID.
ISA 07 – Interchange ID Qualifier 30 (US Federal tax ID) Interchange ID Qualifier R 2/2
ISA 08 – Interchange receiver ID 411289245 Interchange Receiver ID R 15/15

(UHG's Federal Tax ID) This element must be padded with

blanks.
ISA 09 – Interchange Date YYMMDD Interchange Date R 6/6
ISA 10 – Interchange Time HHMM Interchange Time R 4/4
ISA 11 – Interchange Control U Interchange Control Standards Identifier R 1/1
Standards Identifier
ISA 12 – Interchange Control 00401 Interchange Control version Number R 5/5
version Number
ISA 13 – Interchange Control (assigned by the Customer Interchange Control Number R 9/9
Number and/or TPA)

*This must match IEA02.

ISA 14 – Acknowledgement 0 = No Acknowledgement Acknowledgment Requested R 1/1
Requested requested
1 = Interchange *This element is required, but not
Acknowledgement Requeste d. read by UHG. An e-mail notice of the
file application is automatic. If a 997
report is requested, it requires
special programming to be submitted
by your analyst.
ISA 15 – Usage Indicator P = Production Data Usage Indicator R 1/1
T = Test Data
*This element is required, but not
read by UHG. You must notify your
analyst if you are switching between
test files and production files.
ISA 16 – Component Element (assigned by the Customer Component Element Separator R 1/1
Separator and/or TPA)

Recommendation: UHG
requests that you use a colon
(:) in this element.
HEADER LOOP - GS SEGMENT - FUNCTIONAL GROUP HEADER - PAGE B.8
GS 01 –Functional Group Header BE Functional identifier Code R 2/2

Benefit Enrollment and

Maintenance (834)

X12N 834 Companion Guide Page 5

 ELEMENT
SEG ELEMENT ELEMENT ELEMENT
R/S MIN/MAX
ID ID VALUES DESCRIPTION
LENGTH
GS 02 – Application Sender’s code (assigned by the Customer Application Sender’s code R 2/15
and/or TPA)

Recommendation: The TPA

name or customer name, up
to 15 digits.
GS 03 – Application Receiver’s CES Application Receiver’s Code R 2/15
Code
This code is assigned by UHG.
GS 04 – Date YYYYMMDD Today’s date R 8/8
GS 05 – Time HHMM Today’s time R 4/8
GS 06 – Group Control Number (assigned by the Customer Group Control Number R 1/9
and/or TPA)

*This element must match

GE02.
GS 07 – Responsible Agency Code X = Accredited Standards Responsible Agency Code R 1/2
Committee
GS 08 – Version / Release/ 004010X095A1 Version / Release/ Industry Identifier R 1/12
Industry Identifier Code Code
HEADER LOOP - ST SEGMENT - TRANSACTION SET HEADER - PAGE 27
ST 01 - Transaction Set Identifier 834 Benefit Enrollment and Maintenance R 3/3
Code
ST 02 - Transaction Set Control (Assigned by the Customer Ex: 0001 R 4/9
number and/or TPA)

*This element must match

SE02.
HEADER LOOP - BGN SEGMENT - BEGINNING SEGMENT - PAGE 28
BGN 01 - Transaction Set Purpose 00 00 = Original R 2/2
Code
The "00" indicates the first time
the transaction is sent.
BGN 02 - Reference Number (assigned by the Customer Sender Organization Name R 1/30
and/or TPA)

Recommendation: The TPA

name or customer name, up
to 30 digits.
BGN 03 - Date YYYYMMDD Date file was created R 8/8
BGN 04 - Time HHMM Time file was created R 4/8
BGN 08 - Action Code 2 = Change (Update) Designates a changes only file, or a full R 1/2
4 = Verify file reconciliation.

This element is required, but not read

by UHG. You must use a separate
submission ID for full and changes
files in the Header, REF*38. If you
will be sending both a full and
changes file, please discuss this with
your analyst.
HEADER LOOP - REF SEGMENT - TRANSACTION SET POLICY NUMBER - PAGE 32
REF 01 - Reference Identification 38 Master Policy number R 2/3
Qualifier

X12N 834 Companion Guide Page 6

 ELEMENT
SEG ELEMENT ELEMENT ELEMENT
R/S MIN/MAX
ID ID VALUES DESCRIPTION
LENGTH
REF 02 - Reference Identification Assigned by UHG. Your analyst will communicate this value R 1/30
to you.
It is the group submission
ID, alpha only, minimum of 4,
maximum length of 8
characters, all capital letters.
1000A LOOP - N1 SEGMENT – SPONSOR NAME - PAGE 35
N1 01 – Entity Identifier Code P5 = Plan Sponsor R 2/3
N1 02 - Name (assigned by the Customer Recommendation: The full TPA name R 1/60
and/or TPA) (if a TPA is used) or the full customer
name of the Federal Tax ID sent in
1000A Loop N104. May be up to 60
digits.
N1 03 - Identification Code FI = Federal Tax ID R 1/2
Qualifier
N1 04 - Identification Code (assigned by the Customer The Federal Tax ID of the TPA or R 2/80
and/or TPA) Customer Named above in N102.
1000B LOOP - N1 SEGMENT – PAYER – PAGE 37
N1 01 - Entity Identifier Code IN = Insurer R 2/3
N1 02 - Name UnitedHealth Group Insurer Name R 1/60
N1 03 - Identification Code FI = Federal Tax ID R 1/2
Qualifier
N1 04 - Identification Code 411289245 UHG Federal Tax ID R 2/80
2000 LOOP – INS SEGMENT – MEMBER LEVEL DETAIL – PAGE 43
INS 01 - Yes/No Condition Y = Yes Y = Subscriber R 1/1
N = No N = Dependent
INS 02 - Individual Relationship 01 = Spouse Relationship R 2/2
Code 18 = Self
19 = Child/Dependent
23 = Sponsored Dependent
38 = Collateral Dependent
53 = Life Partner
INS 03 - Maintenance Type Code 001 = Change 001 = Change to existing coverage R 3/3
021 = Addition 021 = Add a Subscriber or Dependent
024 = Cancellation or Term 024 = Cancel or Termination of
025 = Reinstatement Subscriber or Dependent
030 = Audit or Compare 025 = Reinstatement
030 = Full Population Audit

May be hardcoded to 030 for all

members. UHG will compare your file
with our system, and will add, term,
reinstate, or change a member's
eligibility regardless of which code is
in this element.
INS 04 – Maintenance Reason Code This element is situational S 2/3
and is not read by UHG.

INS 05 – Benefit Status Code A = Active Status Code R 1/1

C = Consolidated Omnibus
Budget Reconciliation Act
(COBRA)
S = Surviving Insured

X12N 834 Companion Guide Page 7

 ELEMENT
SEG ELEMENT ELEMENT ELEMENT
R/S MIN/MAX
ID ID VALUES DESCRIPTION
LENGTH
INS 06 – Medicare Plan Code A = Medicare Part A Medicare Indicator S 1/1
B = Medicare Part B
C = Medicare Part A and B Medicare eligibility is handled by UHG
D = Medicare – part Unknown Claims dept, not Electronic Eligibility.
E = No Medicare This element is currently not read by
UHG.
INS 07 - COBRA Qualifying Event 1 = Termination COBRA Qualifying Event Code S 1/2
2 = Reduction in Hours
3 = Medicare This element is not used by UHG, but
4 = Death is required if member is being
5 = Divorce enrolled in or is enrolled with Cobra
7 = Ineligible Child coverage.
8 = Bankruptcy of a Retired
Employee
INS 08 – Employment Status Code FT = Full Time Status Code S 2/2
RT = Retired
PT = Part Time Required for subscriber.
INS 09 – Student Status F = Full Time Student Status indicator S 1/1
P = Part Time
N = Not a student NOTE: A student verification letter is
automatically generated if a ‘child’
dependent changes to a ‘student’
relationship in our system. To avoid
this verification letter do not send
the Student Status element.
If a dependent is already in UHG’s
system with a ‘student’ status it will
not be overlaid by a different status
being sent on the file.
INS 10 – Handicap Indicator Y = Yes Y = Yes the member is handicapped S 1/1
N = No N = No the member is not Handicapped
INS 11 – Date Indicator D8 This is required if a Death Date will S 2/3
be sent in the next element. The
Death Date is used in Survivor
situations.
INS 12 – Death Date CCYYMMDD Death date of Subscriber S 1/35
2000 LOOP – REF SEGMENT - SUBSCRIBER NUMBER – PAGE 51
REF 01 - Subscriber Number 0F = Subscriber Number Subscriber Number Qualifier R 2/3
REF 02 - Reference Number Primary Subscriber’s SSN (ID) Reference identification R 1/30

NOTE: This element must be

numeric only, and a
maximum of 9 digits. This
same subscriber ID must be
used for all covered family
members of this subscriber.
2000 LOOP – REF SEGMENT – MEMBER POLICY NUMBER – PAGE 53
REF 01 - Member Policy Number 1L = Customer Number Reference Identification Qualifier R 2/3
REF 02 – Reference Identification (assigned by UHG) Numeric 7-Digit UHG Customer R 1/30
Number for your group.
Example: 0123456
2000 LOOP – REF SEGMENT – MEMBER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER – PAGE 55

X12N 834 Companion Guide Page 8

 ELEMENT
SEG ELEMENT ELEMENT ELEMENT
R/S MIN/MAX
ID ID VALUES DESCRIPTION
LENGTH
REF 01 – Member Identification 17- Client Reporting Category Reference Identification Qualifier S 2/3
Number 23- Client Number
DX- Department Number This element is used by UHG for Survivor
ZZ- Mutually Defined or dependent only coverage situations
6O = Cross Reference Number (REF01=6O) and for sending member
data to be housed in utility fields within
CES.
REF 02 – Reference Identification For REF01= 17, DX or ZZ, the If REF01 = ZZ, the information in REF 02 S 1/30
information in REF02 will feed to will be loaded to Special Utility field 2
CES Special utility fields 1, 2 or within CES. 20 bytes maximum.
3 at the member level.
If REF01 = 17, the information will be
For REF01 = 23, the information loaded to Special Utility field 3 within
in REF02 will feed to CES CES. 8 bytes maximum.
Personnel ID field.
If REF01 = DX, the information will be
For REF01=6O your analyst will loaded to Special Utility field 4 within
communicate what data should CES. 8 bytes maximum.
appear in this element,
depending on how Surviving If REF01=6O, then REF02 is used for
Spouses appear on your file. It Survivor processing or dependent only
is generally the XREF payee coverage. Your analyst will discuss this
SSN. with you. 11 byte maximum.

If REF01= 23, then REF02 will be fed to

the personnel ID field in CES. 11 bytes
maximum.
2000 LOOP – DTP SEGMENT – MEMBER LEVEL DATES– PAGE 59
DTP 01 – Date/Time Qualifier 286 – Retirement 286 – Retirement date for retirees R 3/3
336 – Employment Begin This date is required for retired
338 – Medicare Begin employees sent on the file.
339 – Medicare End
336 – Employment Begin Date
Multiple DTP segments are This date is required for all
allowed. For example: a employees.
Retiree needs DTP01=336
and DTP01=286.
338 – Medicare Begin Date for anyone on
LTD or over the age of 65.
339 – Medicare End Date for anyone who
terms coverage with Me dicare.
DTP 02 – Date/Time Format D8 Date/Time qualifier S 2/3
DTP 03 – Date/Time Period CCYYMMDD Date of Event referred to in DTP01 S 1/35
2100A LOOP – NM1 SEGMENT – MEMBER NAME – PAGE 61
NM1 01 - Entity Identifier Code IL = Insured or Subscriber Use code IL for all members on the file R 2/3
NM1 02 - Entity Type Qualifier 1 = Person Person R 1/1
NM1 03 - Name Last Last Name R 1/35

NOTE: A suffix such as ‘JR’ or ‘SR’

should be included after the
member’s last name within this
element, as the NM107 is not read by
UHG.

Due to our system constraints, any

name greater than 20 bytes in length
will be truncated. No punctuation
should be included.

X12N 834 Companion Guide Page 9

 ELEMENT
SEG ELEMENT ELEMENT ELEMENT
R/S MIN/MAX
ID ID VALUES DESCRIPTION
LENGTH
NM1 04 - Name First First Name R 1/25

NOTE: Due to system constraints,

any name greater than 12 bytes in
length will be truncated.

Do not include a middle name or

middle initial in this element. Also,
no punctuation should be included.
NM1 05 - Name Middle Middle Name or Initial S 1/25

NOTE: Due to system constraints,

only the first initial of the middle
name will be read. No punctuation
should be included.
NM1 06 - Name Prefix Currently not read by UHG. S 1/10
NM1 07 - Name Suffix Currently not read by UHG. S 1/10
NM1 08 - Identification Code 34 = SSN Only send if you have the member’s S 1/2
SSN to send in NM109.
NM1 09 – Identification Code Member’s SSN – dependent or subscriber S 2/80
Qualifier
NOTE: This element is limited for
UHG purposes to 9 numeric digits.
The Member’s SSN must be unique to
each specific member. SSN’s must
not be duplicated between the
Dependent and Subscriber or
between Dependents. Sending a
“dummy” SSN in this element is not
recommended.

If a ‘34’ is sent in NM108, then

NM109 becomes a required element.
2100A LOOP – PER SEGMENT – MEMBER COMMUNICATIONS NUMBERS – PAGE 64
PER 01 - Contact Function Code IP = Insured Party IP = Insured Home Address S 2/2
PER 02 - Name Not used. NOT 1/60
USED
PER 03 - Communication Number HP = Home Phone Number Recommendation: ‘HP’ R 2/2
Qualifier TE = Telephone
WP = Work Phone Number Home Telephone Number .
PER 04 - Communication Number Home Telephone Number R 1/80

Must be 10 digits in length, no spaces

or punctuation.
PER 05 - Communication Number This element is not read by UHG. 2/2
Qualifier
PER 06 - Communication Number This element is not read by UHG. 1/80
PER 07 - Communication Number This element is not read by UHG. 2/2
Qualifier
PER 08 - Communication Number This element is not read by UHG. 1/80

X12N 834 Companion Guide Page 10

 ELEMENT
SEG ELEMENT ELEMENT ELEMENT
R/S MIN/MAX
ID ID VALUES DESCRIPTION
LENGTH

2100A LOOP – N3 SEGMENT – MEMBER RESIDENCE STREET ADDRESS – PAGE 67

N3 01 - Address Line 1 Address Line 1 R 1/55

Note: This element is required for

all members. No punctuation
should be included. Subscribers
and dependents must all appear
with a ‘permanent’ address on
your file. The dependent address
cannot be different than the
subscriber address.
Due to system constraints, any
address greater than 32 bytes in
length will be truncated.
N3 02 - Address Line 2 Address Line 2 S 1/55

Note: The member’s second line

of street address (apt number, PO
box, care of address, etc.) No
punctuation should be included.

2100A LOOP – N4 SEGMENT – MEMBER RESIDENCE CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE – PAGE 68
N4 01 - City City R 2/30

Note: This element is required for

all members. No punctuation
should be included. Both
subscribers and their dependents
must appear with a permanent
city on your file.

Due to system constraints, any

city names greater than 20 bytes
in length will be truncated.
N4 02 - State State R 2/2

Note: A valid 2-digit state code is

required for all domestic
addresses. Must be sent in upper
case letters.
N4 03 - Postal Code Zip Code (+ 4) R 3/15

Note: The 5-digit zip code is a

required element for domestic
addresses; the zip code extension
is optional.

The zip code and zip extension (if

extension is sent) must appear as
one continuous 9-digit number, no
dashes or spaces.

X12N 834 Companion Guide Page 11

 ELEMENT
SEG ELEMENT ELEMENT ELEMENT
R/S MIN/MAX
ID ID VALUES DESCRIPTION
LENGTH
N4 04 - Country Code Code identifying the country S 2/3

Note: This is required if the

member’s country is anything
besides "US". For a complete
listing of country codes use the
following web address:
http://www.iso.ch/iso/en/prods-
services/iso3166ma/02iso-3166-
code-lists/index.html
2100A LOOP – DMG SEGMENT – MEMBER DEMOGRAPHICS – PAGE 70
DMG 01 - Date/Time Format Qualifier D8 R 2/3
DMG 02 - Date/Time Period YYYYMMDD Date of Birth R 1/35
DMG 03 - Gender Code M = Male Gender R 1/1
F = Female
DMG 04 - Marital Status Code M = Married Marital Status R 1/1
U = Unmarried
R = Unreported
I = Single
2100C LOOP – NM1 SEGMENT – MEMBER MAILING ADDRESS – PAGE 85
NM1 01 - Entity Identifier Code 31 = Postal Mailing Address Postal Mailing Address S 2/3

Note: This is not a required element.

The mailing address segments should

be sent if the member has a mailing
address different from that of the
permanent address, or if determined
necessary by your analyst.
NM1 02 - Entity Type Qualifier 1 = Person S 1/1
2100C LOOP – N3 SEGMENT – MEMBER MAIL STREET ADDRESS – PAGE 87
N3 01 - Mailing Address Line 1 Mailing Address Line 1 S 1/55

Note: The mailing address segments

should be sent if the member has a
mailing address different from that of
the permanent address. No
punctuation should be included.

Due to system constraints, any

address greater than 32 bytes in
length will be truncated.
N3 02 - Mailing Address Line 2 Mailing Address Line 2 S 1/55

Note: The member’s second line of

mailing street address (apt number,
PO box, care of address, etc.) No
punctuation should be included.

X12N 834 Companion Guide Page 12

 ELEMENT
SEG ELEMENT ELEMENT ELEMENT
R/S MIN/MAX
ID ID VALUES DESCRIPTION
LENGTH

2100C LOOP – N4 SEGMENT – MEMBER MAIL CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE – PAGE 88
N4 01 - Mailing Address City Mailing Address City S 2/30

Note: The mailing address segments

should be used if the member has a
mailing address different from that of
the permanent address. No
punctuation should be included.

Due to system constraints, any city

names greater than 20 bytes in
length will be truncated.
N4 02 - Mailing Address State State S 2/2

Note: A valid 2-digit state code is

required for all domestic mailing
addresses. Must be sent in upper
case letters.
N4 03 - Postal Code Zip Code (+ 4) R 3/15

Note: The 5-digit zip code is required

for domestic mailing addresses; the
zip code extension is optional..

Do not include a dash (-) or space

between the 5 digit zip code and the
4 digit zip code extension
N4 04 - Country Code Code identifying the country S 2/3

Note: This is required if the

member’s mailing address country is
anything besides "US". For a
complete listing of country codes use
the following web address:–
http://www.iso.ch/iso/en/prods-
services/iso3166ma/02iso-3166-
code-lists/index.html
2300 LOOP – HD SEGME NT – HEALTH COVERAGE – PAGE 128
HD 01 - Maintenance Type Code 001 = Change Maintenance Type Code R 3/3
021 = Add
024 = Cancel or Term
025 = Reinstatement
030 = Audit or Compare
HD 02 - Maintenance Reason Code Not Used. Not 2/3
Used.

X12N 834 Companion Guide Page 13

 ELEMENT
SEG ELEMENT ELEMENT ELEMENT
R/S MIN/MAX
ID ID VALUES DESCRIPTION
LENGTH
HD 03 - Insurance Line Code DEN = Dental Insurance Line Code R 2/3
AK = Stand Alone
HLT = Health Note: A separate complete 2300 loop
EPO = Exclusive Provider must be sent for each separate
Organization coverage type selected.
HE = Hearing
HMO = Health Maintenance
Organization
MM = Major Medical
VIS = Vision
HE = Hearing
POS = Point of Service
PPO = Preferred Provider
Organization
PDG = Prescription
FAC = Facility
HD 04 - Plan Coverage Description UHG's Customer Specific UHG-assigned Plan Variation, Report R 1/50
Structure/Plan and Report Codes Code, Medical Plan Type (TT or VE),
COBRA indicator (TY or TT), and
Note: The plan variation and Executive Medical code (if applicable).
report codes can be found in
a copy of the account Examples: 00010001TTTY should be
structure for this group. sent for a member selecting medical
Your assigned Client Services coverage, medical plan type TT, in
Manager can provide you plan 0001/0001 under COBRA.
with a copy of the structure.
00010001 should be sent for a
member with Rx coverage in plan
0001/0001 and not enrolled in
COBRA. No plan type is used with Rx
coverage.

Note: The plan type should be set to

‘TT' for medical coverage unless
otherwise instructed by your analyst.

The COBRA indicator should be set to

'TY' for COBRA members unless
otherwise instructed by your analyst.

Executive Medical Coverage: Use a

MM in position HD03 along with the
code EXM in position 13-15 in HD04.
No plan type (TT/VE) is used.
Spaces should be sent between
positions 8 and 13.

Ex: 00010001 EXM

HD 05 - Coverage Level Code CHD = Children Only The code indicates which members of the S 3/3
ECH = Employee and Children family are covered for this particular
EMP = Employee Only coverage.
ESP = Employee and Spouse
FAM = Family Note: This is an optional element
SPC = Spouse and Children because UHG derives the information
SPO = Spouse Only based on the active family members
in our system.

X12N 834 Companion Guide Page 14

 ELEMENT
SEG ELEMENT ELEMENT ELEMENT
R/S MIN/MAX
ID ID VALUES DESCRIPTION
LENGTH

2300 LOOP – DTP SEGMENT – HEALTH COVERAGE DATES – PAGE 132

DTP 01 - Date/Time Qualifier 348 = Benefit Begin The Benefits Begin date is the current R 3/3
349 = Benefit End eligibility line’s effective date (start
543 = Last Premium Paid Date date.)

Note: DTP01=348 must be sent for each

coverage type.

DTP01=349 (benefit end date, or

coverage end date) should only be
sent if a member is terminating this
coverage type with UHG. Coverage
end dates may not be sent more than
30 days in advance of the actual
termination date, and once a
termination date has been sent and
all coverage types for that member
have been terminated, that member
must be dropped from the next file.
You may not continue to send
terminated members on your file.

DTP01=543 is used by the UHG as

the paid-through-date for COBRA
coverage. Consult with your analyst
if you intend to send this.

DTP 02 - Date/Time Format QualifierD8 D8 = YYYYMMDD R 2/3

DTP 03 - Date/Time Period YYYMMDD Date referred to by the DTP01. R 1/35
2300 LOOP – REF SEGMENT – HEALTH COVERAGE POLICY NUMBER – PAGE 135
REF 01 - Reference Identification 1L = Group or Policy Number REF01 = 1L is used to pass the R 2/3
Qualifier members policy number.
If REF01 = 17 or ZZ, the
information in REF02 will be If REF01 = 17, the information will be
passed to CES utility fields. loaded to Eligibility Util–1 within CES. 8
bytes maximum.
Every member must have a
REF01 segment = 1L. A second If REF01 = ZZ, the information will be
or third REF segment may be loaded to Member Util-1 within CES. 20
passed with a 17 or ZZ. bytes maximum.
REF 02 - Reference Identification Group or Policy Number Policy Number of Customer. The R R
policy number must be seven digits long.
Utility field information to be If shorter than seven digits pre-fill with
housed in CES. zeros to make the number seven digits.

If REF01 = 17, the information in REF02

will be loaded into Eligibility Utility 1.

If REF01 = ZZ, the information in REF02

will be loaded into Member Utility 1.

X12N 834 Companion Guide Page 15

 ELEMENT
SEG ELEMENT ELEMENT ELEMENT
R/S MIN/MAX
ID ID VALUES DESCRIPTION
LENGTH

2310 LOOP – LX SEGMENT – PROVIDER INFORMATION – PAGE 139

LX 01 – Provider Information (assigned by the Customer Assigned Number S 1/6
and/or TPA)

Recommendation: Since only

one provider can be sent,
populate a “1”’ in this
element.
2310 LOOP – NM1 SEGMENT – PROVIDER NAME – PAGE 140
NM1 01 – Entity Identifier Code P3 = Primary Care provider Primary Care Provider Qualifier S 2/3
NM1 02 – Entity Type Qualifier 1 = Person Provider Type S 1/1
NM1 03- Name Last or Organization UHG does not read this element. S 1/35
name
NM1 04- Name First UHG does not read this element. S 1/25
NM1 05- Name Middle UHG does not read this element. S 1/25
NM1 06- Name Prefix UHG does not read this element. S 1/10
NM1 07- Name Suffix UHG does not read this element. S 1/10
NM1 08 – Identification Code SV = Service Provider Number Provider Identification Code Qualifier S 1/2
Qualifier
NM1 09 – Identification Code UnitedHealth Group's 14 digit Primary Care Physician Identification S 2/80
MPIN number. Number

Format: 0000+7-digit MPIN+0+2-

digit location code. For example:
00001234567012

Note: This is a numeric only element.

Any format other than the one above
would result in the PCP erring.

Note: National Provider Identifiers

(NPI’s) will be issued beginning in
May 2005. This Companion Document
is applicable during the NPI
transition period from May 2005 to
May 2007.
NM1 10 – Entity Relationship Code 25 = Established Patient Current Patient Indicator S 2/2
26 = Not Established Patient
72 = Unknown
TRAILER LOOP – SE SEGMENT – TRANSACTION SET TRAILER – PAGE 158
SE 01 – Number of Included Segment Count Number of segments included in a R 1/10
Segments transaction set, including the ST and
SE segments. (It does not include the
ISA, IEA, GS, and GE segments.)
SE 02 – Transaction Set Control Must equal ST 02 element. Ex. 0001 R 4/9
number
*The transaction set control numbers
in ST02 and SE02 must be identical.
TRAILER LOOP – GE SEGMENT – FUNCTIONAL GROUP TRAILER – PAGE B.10
GE 01 – Functional Group Header The number in this element Number of Transaction Sets Included R 1/6
must reflect the number of
transaction sets (ST/SE sets)
on the file.

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 ELEMENT
SEG ELEMENT ELEMENT ELEMENT
R/S MIN/MAX
ID ID VALUES DESCRIPTION
LENGTH
GE 02 – Group Control number (assigned by the Customer Group Control Number R 1/9
and/or TPA)
*This must be identical to what is
sent in GS06.

TRAILER LOOP – IEA SEGMENT – INTERCHANGE CONTROL TRAILER – PAGE B.7

IEA 01 – Interchange Control trailer (assigned by the Customer Number of Included Functional groups R 1/5
and/or TPA)

This number will almost

always be “1”.
IEA 02 – Interchange control (assigned by the Customer Interchange Control Number R 9/9
number and/or TPA)
*This must be identical to what is
sent in ISA13.

X12N 834 Companion Guide Page 17

Header
The key information included in the header is the sender and receiver's id, the date and time stamp of the
file, and the submission group name (also known as the master policy number). Your Electronic Eligibility
Analyst will provide you with the Submission Group name/master policy number to be used in REF02 of
the header record.

Loop ID - 2000
The key information included in Loop 2000 is the member level detail, such as the relationship code,
status, SSN/Employee ID, employment and retirement dates. Please note that each transaction set must
begin with an employee record.

Your Electronic Eligibility Analyst will provide you with the customer number to be used in Loop 2000,
REF02, where REF01 = 1L. For groups with multiple policy numbers, the policy number should be sent in
Loop 2300, REF02, where REF01 = 1L.

An employment date is to be sent for all employees in Loop 2000, DTP03, where DTP01 = 336.

For retirees, a retirement date is to be sent for all retirees in Loop 2000, DTP03, where DTP01 =286. It
is important that a code of RT be sent in Loop 2000, INS08, with an A in Loop 2000, INS05.

When a member (over age 65 or disabled) has Medicare as their primary insurer, the Medicare Part A and
Part B start date should be passed in Loop 2000, DTP03 and the corresponding qualifier of 338 in Loop
2000, DTP01. The appropriate Medicare indicator should be sent in Loop 2000, INS06. Multiple DTP
segments can be sent for each individual member as described in the Implementation Guide.

Please remember that all qualifiers sent on the file must have the corresponding data elements. A
qualifier should not be passed if there is no corresponding data to be sent.

Survivor Coverage

If your file contains coverage for surviving family members of a deceased employee, certain
considerations should be taken. UnitedHealth Group will keep the surviving members enrolled under the
deceased employee’s identification number (usually the employee's Social Security number) since the
claims and eligibility history for this family already reside under this number.

There are 2 methods available for sending surviving spouse coverage.

• Sending the surviving spouse/members under the deceased SSN (or EE ID). The deceased employee
record is still passed on your file. The deceased employee record would include in Loop 2000, REF01,
the value of '6O' as per the Addenda, page 10. REF02 would be sent with the SSN (or EE ID) of the
survivor. The REF6O segment should only be included in the deceased employee's record. No other
members of the family should be sent with the REF6O segment. A status of S sent on all survivors in
INS05 See example:

"Survivor under
deceased employee.doc"

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• Sending the surviving spouse/members under the spouse's SSN (or EE ID), along with an XREF (cross-
reference ID) equal to the deceased employee's SSN (or EE ID). The deceased employee record is
not included on the file. In this situation, the surviving spouse then appears on the file as an
employee record, and their SSN is sent in the REF0F segment. The REF6O segment is passed with
the SSN of the deceased employee as a cross reference. See example:

"Survivor under own

SSN or EE ID.doc"

Loop ID - 2100A
The key information included in Loop 2100A is the member's name, address, gender and marital status.
Please note that our eligibility system has the following field length constraints for the member's name:

• First Name: 12 bytes

• Last Name: 20 bytes

Do not include a middle name or middle initial in the first name field. Also, we are unable to read any
name suffix data in Loop 2100A, NM107. All suffix information such as Jr. or Sr. should be included within
the last name field, NM103.

UnitedHealth Group requests that the following elements of the Loop 2100A DMG segment are sent with
every file transmission: date of birth, gender, and marital status. Failure to include these fields will cause
your file to error. If two out of the three values change for name, date of birth and relationship, the
record will error.

Address Processing

UnitedHealth Group's Eligibility System has the ability to store up to 2 addresses for each family: one
permanent and one mailing address. The dependent address(s) must always match the employee
address(s). Every employee and dependent record on your file must have a complete permanent address.
Our eligibility system has the following street & city field length constraints:

• Street address fields (2): 32 bytes each

• City field: 21 bytes

Foreign addresses:

The preferred method of handling a foreign address is to use the employer's address as the mailing address for
any of your foreign subscribers.

If this is not an option, in order for claims, EOB's, ID cards, and other member correspondence to be mailed
correctly, UnitedHealth Group requires that all foreign members--the subscriber and all of their covered family
members--be passed with the Subscriber's foreign address in the member residence address segment (Loop
2100A). In addition, a domestic US address must be passed for the members in the member mailing address
segment (Loop 2100C). The UnitedHealth Group domestic address to be passed in Loop 2100C is:

X12N 834 Companion Guide Page 19

Member Mail Street Address (N301): P.O. Box 46701
Member Mail Street Address (N302): Attn UHG
Member Mail City (N401): Greensboro
Member Mail State (N402): NC
Member Mail Zip (N403): 27420

The foreign address must be passed in the Member's Residence Street Address segment (Loop 2100A) in
a specific format in order to prevent the member's record from erring during the file application. You can
use any combination of the following elements to pass the member's complete foreign address:

Member Residence Street Address (N301)

Member Residence Street Address (N302)
Member Residence City (N401)
Member Residence State (N402) – unless US or Canadian, leave blank
Member Residence Zip (N403) – unless US or Canadian, leave blank
Member Residence Country Code (N404) – 2 or 3 digit Country code.

Note: The 2 or 3 character foreign country code must also appear somewhere in N301, N302 or
N401.

2 character country codes (UnitedHealth Group preferred) can be obtained from the following website:
http://www.iso.ch/iso/en/prods-services/iso3166ma/02iso-3166-code-lists/list-en1.html.

3 character country codes are available from the following website:

http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49alpha.htm.

Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are U.S. Territories, therefore those addresses are considered domestic.
However, Canadian addresses are considered to be foreign addresses.

Loop Id – 2300
The key information included in Loop 2300 is the health coverage information. This loop provides UnitedHealth
Group with the benefit information specific to each member. Your UnitedHealth Group Account Management
Team will supply the account structure--Policy Number, Plan Variation/Report Code to you, along with the
plan code and COBRA indicator. The policy number should be sent as a 7-digit number, with a preceding
zero if necessary. The plan variation and report codes are 4 digits each. The plan code is used to signify
medical coverage (TT) or medical with embedded vision coverage (VE). The COBRA indicator is a 2-digit
code, usually TY.

All coverage types pertinent to each member's eligibility record must be passed on the file. For example,
if a member is electing both medical and RX coverage, the record passed on the file for this member must
contain complete medical coverage information and complete RX coverage information. Loop 2300 should
be replicated for each coverage or product type, with changes made to HD03, HD04 or HD05 as
necessary.

Please note that the values sent in HD04 should be left justified with no separation and should appear in
the positions listed below. If any values are not required, spaces should be sent.

Plan Variation: position 1-4

Report Code: position 5-8
Plan Code: position 9-10
COBRA indicator: position 11-12

X12N 834 Companion Guide Page 20

Executive Medical Code: position 13-15

Example: Plan Variation Code (0001) Reporting Code (0001), Plan type (TT), and COBRA indicator (TY) should
be sent as 00010001TTTY.

Example: Plan Variation Code (0001) Report ing Code (0001), and Executive Medical (EXM) should be sent as
00010001 EXM.

Also, please note that the policy number must be passed in Loop 2300, REF02, REF01 = 1L.

COBRA Coverage

If your file includes COBRA coverage, you must include the COBRA indicator, as noted above, in Loop
2300, HD04. INS05 can still be passed with an A, if the member was active when they went on COBRA.
We can accept a C in INS05, as long as INS08 = FT or RT. Paid thru dates may be sent in Loop 2300 in
the DTP segment, with a qualifier of "543".

Loop ID – 2310
The key information in Loop 2310 is the Primary Physician provider information.

Should you wish to include primary physician information on your 834 file for new enrollees, the provider
information segment LX*1~ must be sent on your file (see page 139). A code of P3 must be sent in Loop
2310, NM101, and a code of SV in Loop 2310, NM108 (see page 16 of the Addenda). The UnitedHealth
Group provider number is sent in Loop 2310, NM109. This provider number must be in our standard 14-
byte format. The 14 byte provider number consists of 4 preceding zeroes, a 7 digit provider id, another
zero, and a 2 digit location code. For example: 00001234567001.

UnitedHealth Group recommends that members requesting to change their primary physician, contact
member services or update their provider information directly via www.myuhc.com.

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