OASIS edit -5940: Inconsistent K0520 Items

Edit -5940 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 K0520 Items". 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 5 items: K0520A4, K0520B4, K0520C4, K0520D4, K0520Z4. CMS's action: "Make appropriate corrections to the records and resubmit."

What CMS's data specification says about -5940

CMS's OASIS-E2 Data Submission Specifications V3.02.0 (HTML edit page oe_5940.html, generated 11/05/2025) list edit -5940 with edit type Consistency and severity Fatal. The edit text, as CMS publishes it:

(a) If K0520Z4=[1], then all active items from K0520A4 through K0520D4 must equal [0]. (b) If K0520Z4=[0], then at least one active item from K0520A4 through K0520D4 must equal [1], and the remaining items must equal [0,1]. (c) If K0520Z4=[-], then at least one item from K0520A4 through K0520D4 must equal [-], and the remaining active items must equal [0,-].

CMS's overview document defines this edit type: "Consistency edits define logical constraints among multiple items."

What the iQIES error message for -5940 says

CMS's OASIS Error Message Reference Guide v2.4 (Excel, posted 2026-02-05 on the QTSO reference manuals page) has 3 current entries for this edit. Each is copied in full, with whitespace normalised:

-5940a

Error ID: -5940a
Severity: Fatal
Type: Consistency
Error message: Inconsistent K0520 Items: If nutritional approaches in the last 7 days (K0520Z4) is checked [1], then all active items K0520A4 through K0520D4 must not be checked [0].
Potential cause: The value submitted in item K0520Z4 (None of the Above Last 7 Days) is not consistent with one or more values submitted for other Nutritional Approaches Last 7 Days.
Tips: If K0520Z4 is checked [1], then all active items from K0520A4 through K0520D4 must not be checked [0].
Action: Make appropriate corrections to the records and resubmit.
Effective start date: 2023-01-01
Effective end date: 2099-12-31 (CMS uses this date for an open-ended entry)

-5940b

Error ID: -5940b
Severity: Fatal
Type: Consistency
Error message: Inconsistent K0520 Items: If nutritional approaches in the last 7 days (K0520Z4) is not checked [0], then at least one of the following items K0520A4 through K0520D4 must be checked [1], and the remaining items must be unchecked or checked [0, 1].
Potential cause: The value submitted in item K0520Z4 (None of the Above Last 7 Days) is not consistent with one or more values submitted for other Nutritional Approaches Last 7 Days.
Tips: If K0520Z4 is not checked [0], then at least one active item from K0520A4 through K0520D4 must be checked [1], and the remaining items must be checked or not checked [0,1].
Action: Make appropriate corrections to the records and resubmit.
Effective start date: 2023-01-01
Effective end date: 2099-12-31 (CMS uses this date for an open-ended entry)

-5940c

Error ID: -5940c
Severity: Fatal
Type: Consistency
Error message: Inconsistent K0520 Items: If nutritional approaches in the last 7 days (K0520Z4) is a dash [-], then at least one of the following items K0520A4 through K0520D4 must be a dash [-] and all remaining active items must be a dash or not checked [-, 0].
Potential cause: The value submitted in item K0520Z4 (None of the Above Last 7 Days) is not consistent with one or more values submitted for other Nutritional Approaches Last 7 Days.
Tips: If K0520Z4 is dashed [-], then at least one item from K0520A4 through K0520D4 must be dashed [-], and the remaining active items must be not checked or dashed [0,-].
Action: Make appropriate corrections to the records and resubmit.
Effective start date: 2023-01-01
Effective end date: 2099-12-31 (CMS uses this date for an open-ended entry)

Items this edit checks

CMS's Item List for -5940 names 5 items.

Item ID	Description (CMS)	Item page
K0520A4	Nutritional Approaches (7 days): Parenteral	K0520
K0520B4	Nutritional Approaches (7 days): Feeding tube	K0520
K0520C4	Nutritional Approaches (7 days): Mech Alt Diet	K0520
K0520D4	Nutritional Approaches (7 day): Therapeutic	K0520
K0520Z4	Nutritional Approaches (7 days): None	K0520

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 -5940 fatal or a warning?

Fatal. CMS lists edit -5940 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 -5940?

CMS's Item List for edit -5940 names 5 items: K0520A4, K0520B4, K0520C4, K0520D4, K0520Z4. The full list with descriptions is in the table above.

How do I fix OASIS edit -5940?

CMS's OASIS Error Message Reference Guide v2.4 gives this action for -5940a: "Make appropriate corrections to the records and resubmit." Its tips: "If K0520Z4 is checked [1], then all active items from K0520A4 through K0520D4 must not be checked [0]." The guide has 3 entries for this edit (-5940a, -5940b, -5940c); each is quoted above.

Which records does edit -5940 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_5940.html and 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.