Skip to content
Health Agentby Bonis Systems

Health Agent · Medicare appeal deadlines

Know your Medicare appeal deadline before it passes.

A denied claim has a clock on it. Miss the window and the appeal is gone, no matter how strong it was. Enter the date on your denial notice and the level you're appealing — this page shows the exact filing deadline, how many days are left, and who decides next.

Runs in your browser Nothing leaves your device No account Deadlines per CMS & federal rules

Deadline checker

Enter three things. Get the date.

If you have a private plan that pays your Medicare benefits, that's Medicare Advantage.
Start at level 1 if this is your first appeal of the denial.
The date printed on the letter or decision you're appealing.

In one line

The deadline math runs entirely in your browser from published CMS and federal timeframes. Health Agent never sees your dates, your name, or your denial — there is no server call to make. See the proof →

How it works

Why this is safe to use for a real denial

Most "free tools" ask you to upload the denial letter. This one doesn't. When you press Check the deadline, the calculation happens in the page you already loaded — there is no upload, no account, and no network request carrying what you typed. Close the tab and nothing is kept.

For Medicare, the clock legally starts when you receive the notice. Medicare presumes a mailed notice arrives 5 days after its printed date unless you can show otherwise, so by default this checker adds those 5 days for you. If you know the real delivery date, tick the box and it uses that instead.

The ladder

The five levels of an Original Medicare appeal

  1. RedeterminationMedicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) — file within 120 days of receiving the denial.
  2. ReconsiderationQualified Independent Contractor (QIC) — file within 180 days of the redetermination.
  3. Administrative Law Judge hearingOffice of Medicare Hearings and Appeals — file within 60 days. A minimum dollar amount in dispute applies.
  4. Medicare Appeals Council reviewDepartmental Appeals Board — file within 60 days of the ALJ decision.
  5. Federal District CourtU.S. District Court — file within 60 days. A higher minimum dollar amount applies.

The dollar minimums for levels 3 and 5 change every year. Confirm the current figures and your specific rights at medicare.gov/claims-appeals.

After the deadline

Once you know the date, draft the letter

When the deadline is in reach, the next step is the appeal letter itself. The local appeal desk drafts it on your own computer so the patient's records never leave your hardware; the cloud generator is the faster path if you'd rather not install anything.

Questions

Common questions

Does anything I type get sent anywhere?

No. The deadline is computed by code already running in your browser. There is no server endpoint behind this page — your dates and selections never travel over the network and are not stored.

Where do the deadlines come from?

From the published CMS appeal timeframes for Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Part D, and from the federal internal-and-external review timeframes for commercial and employer plans. The filing windows (the number of days) are set by regulation and are stable; only the dollar minimums for the higher Medicare levels change yearly.

Is this legal advice?

No. This is a deadline calculator and drafting aid, not legal or medical advice, and it does not file anything for you. For your specific situation, confirm at medicare.gov or with a licensed advisor. Health Agent is not affiliated with or endorsed by Medicare.

What if I'm not sure which level I'm on?

If this is the first time you're disputing the denial, you're filing level 1. Each later level is for appealing the decision you got from the level before it.