How do I fix OHIP error code EH1?

Check the service date against the chart and fix it if it's wrong. Confirm the health number on the patient's card or with a health card validation check. If the date or number was wrong, correct it and resubmit. Resubmit within three months of the service date if you can. If that window has passed but the claim was first submitted on time, use the Ministry's stale-dated resubmission process: one stale-dated claim file through MCEDT, then an email to ClaimsManagement@ontario.ca with the Error Reports showing the original submission date. If both are right, the patient wasn't covered on that date. Ask them to contact ServiceOntario about their coverage. For a newborn, the parent must complete and submit the infant registration form so the health number is activated. If the patient had no coverage, OHIP won't pay. Ministry guidance allows billing the patient for that service, but if they later prove they were covered, you must refund them in full and submit the claim through the stale-dated process if the three-month window has passed.

When shouldn't I resubmit a EH1 claim?

The date and health number are correct and the patient's coverage really did start later. Resubmitting the same claim will reject again.

< Error codes

Error code

EH1 — Service Date before Eligibility Effective Date

Q: What does OHIP error code EH1 mean?

EH1 means the service date is before the patient's OHIP coverage started. Check the date and health number before anything else.

Before coverage started

The service date is before the patient's OHIP coverage started, so OHIP sees them as not yet covered.

What to do: Check the service date against the chart and confirm the health number with a health card validation check.

Code: EH1
Description: Service Date before Eligibility Effective Date

Explanation

Updated October 26, 2026

EH1 means the service date is before the patient's OHIP coverage started. Check the date and health number before anything else.

What it means

OHIP records a start date for each person's coverage. EH1 means the claim's service date falls before that date, so OHIP sees the patient as not yet covered when the service was given.

Sometimes the claim simply has the wrong date or the wrong health number. Other times the patient really wasn't covered yet, for example a new arrival whose registration took effect later. The Ministry pays fee-for-service claims only when the patient is eligible and has a valid health card.

Common causes

Service date entered wrong (wrong year or month, or day and month swapped)
Wrong health number, such as a family member's card
Patient newly registered with OHIP, with coverage starting after the visit
Newborn whose registration wasn't complete at the time of service

How to fix it

Check the service date against the chart and fix it if it's wrong.
Confirm the health number on the patient's card or with a health card validation check.
If the date or number was wrong, correct it and resubmit. Resubmit within three months of the service date if you can. If that window has passed but the claim was first submitted on time, use the Ministry's stale-dated resubmission process: one stale-dated claim file through MCEDT, then an email to [email protected] with the Error Reports showing the original submission date.
If both are right, the patient wasn't covered on that date. Ask them to contact ServiceOntario about their coverage. For a newborn, the parent must complete and submit the infant registration form so the health number is activated.
If the patient had no coverage, OHIP won't pay. Ministry guidance allows billing the patient for that service, but if they later prove they were covered, you must refund them in full and submit the claim through the stale-dated process if the three-month window has passed.

Don't resubmit if

The date and health number are correct and the patient's coverage really did start later. Resubmitting the same claim will reject again.

How APEX handles it

APEX has no automatic fix for EH1. The claim appears in the Correction Centre as needing your input, so you can check the date and health number and correct it yourself. See how APEX works · Pricing

Related codes: EH4, EH5, EH9, VH9