Insurance Appeal Deadline Calculator

Appeals are lost on dates more often than on merits. The clock starts on the notice, not on the day you opened the envelope, and missing an internal appeal deadline usually forecloses the external review that follows it.

Enter the date printed on your denial and the windows your plan documents state. The defaults below are the windows commonly found in plan language, but your notice governs — it is required to state them.

What to send, in order

1. A records request, immediately. The claim file, the medical necessity criteria applied, and the credentials of the reviewer who denied it.
2. The appeal itself, referencing the exact plan language and why your situation meets it.
3. A letter from the treating clinician tied to those criteria, not a general statement of support.

Keep the envelope

Track everything: the notice date, the postmark, the date you sent each item, and who you spoke to. If a deadline dispute arises later, the file you kept is the whole argument.

If the window has closed

Ask in writing whether the plan will accept a late appeal for good cause, and state the reason. It is not guaranteed, but plans do grant it — and the request costs nothing but a letter.