OASIS edit -3261: Inconsistent Dates
Edit -3261 is a fatal consistency 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 "Inconsistent Dates". 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 8 items: M0030_START_CARE_DT, M0032_ROC_DT, M0066_PAT_BIRTH_DT, M0090_INFO_COMPLETED_DT, M0102_PHYSN_ORDRD_SOCROC_DT, M1005_INP_DISCHARGE_DT, and more. CMS's action: "Make appropriate corrections to the records and resubmit."
What CMS's data specification says about -3261
CMS's OASIS-E2 Data Submission Specifications V3.02.0 (HTML edit page oe_3261.html, generated 11/05/2025) list edit -3261 with edit type Consistency and severity Fatal. The edit text, as CMS publishes it:
DATE ITEM CONSISTENCY: PATTERN 1 Each active item in the list below that contains a valid date (not blank) must be in the specified order. If M0032_ROC_DT is equal to [^], then the following rules apply: M0066_PAT_BIRTH_DT < M1005_INP_DISCHARGE_DT <= M0102_PHYSN_ORDRD_SOCROC_DT <= M0030_START_CARE_DT <= M1307_OLDST_STG2_ONST_DT <= M0906_DC_TRAN_DTH_DT <= M0090_INFO_COMPLETED_DT <= Current date
CMS's overview document defines this edit type: "Consistency edits define logical constraints among multiple items."
What the iQIES error message for -3261 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:
-3261
- Error ID
- -3261
- Severity
- Fatal
- Type
- Consistency
- Error message
- Inconsistent Dates: The dates listed are out of logical order.
- Potential cause
- The dates submitted in the noted items are out of order or in the future.
- Tips
- IF M0032 (Resumption of Care Date) is a blank (^), these dates must occur chronologically as follows:• M0066 (Birth Date) must precede M1005 (Inpatient Discharge Date)• M1005 must precede or be the same as M0102 (Date of Physician-ordered SOC/ROC)• M0102 must precede or be the same as M0030 (Start of Care Date)• M0030 must precede or be the same as M1307 (Oldest Non-epithelialized Stage II Pressure Ulcer Identified Date)• M1307 must precede or be the same as M0906 (Discharge/Transfer/Death Date)• M0906 must precede or be the same as M0090 (Date Assessment Completed)• M0090 must precede or be the same as the current date.• M0906 must precede or be the same as M0090 (Date Assessment Completed)• M0090 must precede or be the same as the current date
- Action
- Make appropriate corrections to the records and resubmit.
- Effective start date
- 2019-01-01
- Effective end date
- 2099-12-31 (CMS uses this date for an open-ended entry)
Items this edit checks
CMS's Item List for -3261 names 8 items.
| Item ID | Description (CMS) | Item page |
|---|---|---|
| M0030_START_CARE_DT | Start of care date | M0030 |
| M0032_ROC_DT | Resumption of care date | M0032 |
| M0066_PAT_BIRTH_DT | Date of birth | M0066 |
| M0090_INFO_COMPLETED_DT | Date assessment completed | M0090 |
| M0102_PHYSN_ORDRD_SOCROC_DT | Physician ordered SOC/ROC date | M0102 |
| M1005_INP_DISCHARGE_DT | Most recent inpatient discharge date | M1005 |
| M0906_DC_TRAN_DTH_DT | Discharge, transfer, death date | none yet |
| M1307_OLDST_STG2_ONST_DT | Date of onset of oldest stage 2 pressure ulcer | none yet |
Related edits
Other current edits whose CMS Item List shares one or more items with -3261:
| Edit ID | Severity | Type | iQIES label | Items shared |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -3271 | Fatal | Consistency | Inconsistent Dates | 8 |
| -3070 | Fatal | Format | Invalid Date | 7 |
| -7050 | Fatal | Consistency | No Match Found | 5 |
| -3280 | Warning | Consistency | Inconsistent Dates | 2 |
| -3290 | Warning | Consistency | Inconsistent Dates | 2 |
| -3300 | Warning | Consistency | Inconsistent Dates | 2 |
| -3310 | Warning | Consistency | Inconsistent Dates | 2 |
| -3320 | Warning | Consistency | Inconsistent Dates | 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 -3261 fatal or a warning?
Fatal. CMS lists edit -3261 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 -3261?
CMS's Item List for edit -3261 names 8 items: M0030_START_CARE_DT, M0032_ROC_DT, M0066_PAT_BIRTH_DT, M0090_INFO_COMPLETED_DT, M0102_PHYSN_ORDRD_SOCROC_DT, M1005_INP_DISCHARGE_DT, M0906_DC_TRAN_DTH_DT, M1307_OLDST_STG2_ONST_DT. The full list with descriptions is in the table above.
How do I fix OASIS edit -3261?
CMS's OASIS Error Message Reference Guide v2.4 gives this action for -3261: "Make appropriate corrections to the records and resubmit." Its tips are quoted in full above.
Which records does edit -3261 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_3261.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.