Leave of Absence

40.3.5.2 - Leave of Absence (Rev. 4001, Issued: 03-16-18, Effective: 06-19-18, Implementation: 06-19-18) A leave of absence for the purposes of this instruction is a situation where the patient is absent, but not discharged, for reasons other than admission to a hospital, other SNF, or nonparticipating portion of the same institution. If the absence exceeds 30 consecutive days, the 3-day prior stay and 30-day transfer requirements, as appropriate, must again be met to establish re-entitlement to SNF benefits. Leave of absence (LOA) days are shown on the bill with revenue code 018X and LOA days as units. However, charges for LOA days are shown as zero on the bill, and the SNF cannot bill the beneficiary for them except as specified in Chapter 1 of this manual at §30.1.1.1. Occurrence span code 74 is used to report the LOA from and through dates. Providers should review the RAI manual to clarify situations where an LOA is not appropriate, for example observation stays in a hospital lasting greater than 24 hours.