OASIS edit -3210: Invalid Format
Edit -3210 is a fatal format edit in CMS's OASIS-E2 data specifications V3.02.0, effective for records with completion dates on or after 2026-04-01. iQIES reports it as "Invalid Format". A fatal edit rejects the record: "Records with fatal errors will be rejected. All fatal errors in a record must be corrected and resubmitted." It checks 15 items: HHA_AGENCY_ID, SFW_NAME, SFW_EMAIL_ADR, SFW_PROD_NAME, SFW_PROD_VRSN_CD, ACY_DOC_CD, and more. CMS's action: "Make appropriate corrections to the records and resubmit."
What CMS's data specification says about -3210
CMS's OASIS-E2 Data Submission Specifications V3.02.0 (HTML edit page oe_3210.html, generated 11/05/2025) list edit -3210 with edit type Format and severity Fatal. The edit text, as CMS publishes it:
The length of the text submitted for a free-form text item must not exceed the maximum length specified for that item.
CMS's overview document defines this edit type: "Format edits specify special rules for formatting item values."
What the iQIES error message for -3210 says
CMS's OASIS Error Message Reference Guide v2.4 (Excel, posted 2026-02-05 on the QTSO reference manuals page) has 1 current entry for this edit. Each is copied in full, with whitespace normalised:
-3210
- Error ID
- -3210
- Severity
- Fatal
- Type
- Format
- Error message
- Invalid Format: The length of the text submitted for this item exceeds the maximum length allowed.
- Potential cause
- The text submitted exceeds the maximum length allowed for this item.
- Tips
- Refer to the data specifications in effect for this record to identify the acceptable values for this item.
- Action
- Make appropriate corrections to the records and resubmit.
- Effective start date
- 2010-01-01
- Effective end date
- 2099-12-31 (CMS uses this date for an open-ended entry)
Items this edit checks
CMS's Item List for -3210 names 15 items.
| Item ID | Description (CMS) | Item page |
|---|---|---|
| HHA_AGENCY_ID | Assigned agency submission ID | none yet |
| SFW_NAME | Software vendor company name | none yet |
| SFW_EMAIL_ADR | Software vendor email address | none yet |
| SFW_PROD_NAME | Software product name | none yet |
| SFW_PROD_VRSN_CD | Software product version code | none yet |
| ACY_DOC_CD | Document ID code (agency use) | none yet |
| M0016_BRANCH_ID | Branch ID | M0016 |
| M0020_PAT_ID | Patient ID number | M0020 |
| M0040_PAT_FNAME | Patient's first name | M0040 |
| M0040_PAT_MI | Patient's middle initial | M0040 |
| M0040_PAT_LNAME | Patient's last name | M0040 |
| M0040_PAT_SUFFIX | Patient's suffix | M0040 |
| M0063_MEDICARE_NUM | Medicare number, including suffix | M0063 |
| M0065_MEDICAID_NUM | Medicaid number | M0065 |
| A1110A | Preferred language | A1110A |
Related edits
Other current edits whose CMS Item List shares one or more items with -3210:
| Edit ID | Severity | Type | iQIES label | Items shared |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -3130 | Fatal | Format | Invalid Format | 4 |
| -3250 | Fatal | Format | Invalid Format | 3 |
| -3120 | Fatal | Format | Invalid Format | 2 |
| -3220 | Fatal | Consistency | Inconsistent Software Information | 2 |
| -3230 | Fatal | Consistency | Inconsistent Software Vendor Information | 2 |
| -4870 | Fatal | Consistency | Inconsistent Software Vendor Information | 2 |
| -4880 | Fatal | Consistency | Inconsistent Software Vendor Information | 2 |
| -7050 | Fatal | Consistency | No Match Found | 2 |
What happens to the record
CMS's overview, section 6.4, on fatal edits: "Violation of a fatal edit will result in rejection of the submission file." CMS's iQIES error message guide: "Records with fatal errors will be rejected. All fatal errors in a record must be corrected and resubmitted."
Which records this edit applies to
Data specifications version 3.02 has an effective start date of 2026-04-01 and no end date (CMS overview, Table 1). CMS selects the edit set by the record's completion date: "When a submitted record is validated by the iQIES system, its completion date is evaluated and is used to load the appropriate set of edits for the specifications in effect on that date."
Frequently asked questions
Is OASIS edit -3210 fatal or a warning?
Fatal. CMS lists edit -3210 with severity Fatal in the OASIS-E2 data specifications V3.02.0. The CMS overview states: "Violation of a fatal edit will result in rejection of the submission file." The iQIES error guide adds: "Records with fatal errors will be rejected. All fatal errors in a record must be corrected and resubmitted."
Which OASIS items can trigger edit -3210?
CMS's Item List for edit -3210 names 15 items: HHA_AGENCY_ID, SFW_NAME, SFW_EMAIL_ADR, SFW_PROD_NAME, SFW_PROD_VRSN_CD, ACY_DOC_CD, M0016_BRANCH_ID, M0020_PAT_ID, M0040_PAT_FNAME, M0040_PAT_MI, M0040_PAT_LNAME, M0040_PAT_SUFFIX, and 3 more. The full list with descriptions is in the table above.
How do I fix OASIS edit -3210?
CMS's OASIS Error Message Reference Guide v2.4 gives this action for -3210: "Make appropriate corrections to the records and resubmit." Its tips: "Refer to the data specifications in effect for this record to identify the acceptable values for this item."
Which records does edit -3210 apply to?
Under version 3.02 of the data specifications, records whose completion date, item M0090_INFO_COMPLETED_DT, is on or after 2026-04-01, the effective start date CMS gives that version. Records completed earlier are checked under the version in effect on their completion date (CMS overview, Table 1 and section 3.2); the effective start date on each guide entry above is the date CMS's error guide gives that entry. The CMS overview states: "When a submitted record is validated by the iQIES system, its completion date is evaluated and is used to load the appropriate set of edits for the specifications in effect on that date."
Sources
- CMS, OASIS-E2 Data Submission Specifications V3.02.0 FINAL (zip): HTML edit page
oe_3210.htmland the Unduplicated Edits By ID Report. https://www.cms.gov/files/zip/oasis-e2-data-specs-v3-02-0-final-zip.zip (download page: https://www.cms.gov/medicare/quality/home-health/data-specifications) - CMS, OASIS Data Submission Specifications Overview, Version 3.02.0, October 29, 2025 (in the same zip).
- CMS QTSO, OASIS Error Message Reference Guide v2.4 (Excel), posted 2026-02-05. https://qtso.cms.gov/system/files/qtso/OASIS%20Error%20Message%20Reference%20Guide%20FINAL%202.4.26.xlsx
CMS text on this page is copied from CMS's documents without rewording; whitespace is normalised, and one rendering artifact in CMS's HTML (a double quote standing in for an apostrophe) is corrected to the apostrophe in CMS's PDF report. This page is maintained by Logicly, which is not affiliated with CMS. Checked against the CMS files on 2026-10-16.