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Y38 ICD-10-CM Code: Terrorism

Billing Status: NO. This is a clinician non-billable / parent hierarchy grouping in the ICD-10-CM system.

Coding at a Glance

7th character
Required — characters A · D · S
Tabular directives
1 inclusion term · 1 use-additional code

Coding instructions

Official Tabular Instructional Notes: the inclusion, exclusion and sequencing notes published for Y38 in the official ICD-10-CM tabular list, quoted as published.

Source: CMS/CDC — ICD-10-CM Tabular ListRelease: FY2026Effective: October 1, 2025

Inclusion Terms

Alternative terms the tabular list files under this code.

  • These codes are for use to identify injuries resulting from the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a Government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objective

Use Additional Code

Supplementary codes the tabular list directs you to add.

  • Use additional code for place of occurrence (Y92.-)

7th Character Guide

"The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category Y38"

  • A — initial encounter
  • D — subsequent encounter
  • S — sequela

How the encounter character is assigned. “Initial encounter” means the patient is receiving active treatment for the condition — it is not limited to the first visit, and a different or new provider giving active treatment still assigns it. “Subsequent encounter” covers care during the healing or recovery phase after active treatment. “Sequela” is for complications or conditions that arise as a direct result of the original condition.

ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, Section I.C.19.a (paraphrased by MedCoder).

Variant codes in this family

Y38.0X1A, Y38.0X1D, Y38.0X1S, Y38.0X2A, Y38.0X2D, Y38.0X2S, Y38.0X3A, Y38.0X3D

Character meanings are CMS's official 7th-character extensions for this family, as carried in each variant code's official description; variant codes are registry rows. The explanation of how the encounter character is assigned is MedCoder editorial, distinct from the official content above it.

Coder workflow for Y38

MedCoder structured workflow — derived from this code’s own official record

Before you code Y38

  1. Y38 is not reportable as written. Select the more specific code beneath it that the documentation supports. Codes are reported to the highest level of specificity the classification provides (Guidelines I.B.2).

    ReviewY38.0, Y38.1, Y38.2, Y38.3, Y38.4, Y38.5, Y38.6, Y38.7, Y38.8, Y38.9

    See the relationships section · Guide: How to choose an ICD-10-CM code →

  2. A 7th character is required in this family. Confirm the documented encounter: initial (active treatment), subsequent (healing or recovery phase), or sequela. Y38 is not valid without one. “Initial” means active treatment, not the first visit (Guidelines I.C.19.a).

    See the 7th Character Guide · Guide: 7th characters: initial, subsequent, sequela →

  3. An external cause code is reported in addition to the code for the injury or condition, never as the principal or first-listed diagnosis. Confirm the cause, intent, place of occurrence, activity and status where the record documents them, and assign the 7th character that matches the injury code. External cause coding guidelines (Guidelines I.C.20.a).

Choose the right path

  1. Does the documentation support one of the more specific codes beneath Y38?
    Yes → Select that code and continue the checks below on its own page.
    No → Y38 cannot be reported as written; query for the specificity its subcategory needs.

    ReviewY38.0, Y38.1, Y38.2, Y38.3, Y38.4, Y38.5, Y38.6, Y38.7, Y38.8, Y38.9

  2. Is the encounter phase documented — active treatment, healing or recovery, or a sequela?
    Yes → Assign the matching 7th character; the variant codes are in the 7th Character Guide.
    No → The code is invalid without its 7th character — query for the missing element.

Consider Y38. Then work the Use Additional Code note, and confirm the code is valid for the date of service in the Verify section.

Documentation check

The provider’s diagnostic statement
Codes are assigned from the provider’s documented diagnosis, not from clinical criteria, test values or a medication list (Guidelines I.A.19).
Encounter type
Active treatment, healing or recovery phase, or sequela — the basis of the 7th character (Guidelines I.C.19.a).
The conditions the Use Additional Code note names
Reported with this code when documented; a conditional instruction (“if applicable”, “if known”) applies only when the record supports it.

Official instructions as workflow

  • Use Additional Code — after identifying Y38(1 note)

    Coding workflow: Check whether the documentation supports the additional code(s) the note names, and report them with Y38 when it does. Where the instruction is conditional (“if applicable”, “if known”), it applies only when the record documents the condition.

    ReviewY92

    See the official tabular notes · Guidelines I.A.13

Coding decision scenarios

Pattern scenarios for this code’s structure — decision rules, not clinical cases

Documentation: The patient returns during the healing or recovery phase after active treatment of the same condition.

Coding question: Which 7th character applies?

Path: Review the official 7th-character definitions for this family in the 7th Character Guide.

Reason: “Initial encounter” means active treatment, not the first visit; care during recovery takes “subsequent encounter”, and a complication arising from the original condition takes “sequela” (Guidelines I.C.19.a).

Documentation: A condition the Use Additional Code note names is documented.

Coding question: Is a second code reported with Y38?

Path: Review the Use Additional Code note and the code it names.

Reason: The additional code is reported when the record documents the condition; a conditional instruction applies only when its condition is met (Guidelines I.A.13).

ReviewY92

Every row is derived from this code’s own record — its title, tabular notes, 7th-character family and same-category siblings — with fixed MedCoder wording; nothing is inferred about a patient. The official notes and guideline text are in the sections each row links to, and they control.

Code Overview

Terrorism is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (Y38). A more specific billable subcode must be selected for claims submission.

MedCoder summary Summary composed by MedCoder from this code's official ICD-10-CM record. The tabular instructional notes themselves appear verbatim below.

Official Coding Guidelines

Official source data — quoted verbatim from the CMS/NCHS Official Guidelines

Official source data — quoted verbatim from the CMS/NCHS Official Guidelines

Verbatim excerpts from the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting (CMS/NCHS) that govern this code.

Chapter 20: External Causes of Morbidity (V00-Y99)

1) Cause of injury identified by the Federal Government (FBI) as terrorism When the cause of an injury is identified by the Federal Government (FBI) as terrorism, the first-listed external cause code should be a code from category Y38, Terrorism. The definition of terrorism employed by the FBI is found at the inclusion note at the beginning of category Y38. Use additional code for place of occurrence (Y92.-). More than one Y38 code may be assigned if the injury is the result of more than one mechanism of terrorism.

Chapter 20: External Causes of Morbidity (V00-Y99)

2) Cause of an injury is suspected to be the result of terrorism When the cause of an injury is suspected to be the result of terrorism a code from category Y38 should not be assigned. Suspected cases should be classified as assault.

Chapter 20: External Causes of Morbidity (V00-Y99)

It is acceptable to assign code Y38.9 with another code from Y38 if there is an injury due to the initial terrorist event and an injury that is a subsequent result of the terrorist event.

Verify Before Coding

  • Not billable as written — a more specific code is required: Y38.0X1A, Y38.0X1D, Y38.0X1S, Y38.0X2A, Y38.0X2D.
  • Requires a 7th character. "The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category Y38" Options: Y38.0X1A, Y38.0X1D, Y38.0X1S, Y38.0X2A, Y38.0X2D, Y38.0X2S
  • Principal-diagnosis restriction. External cause of morbidity codes (V, W, X and Y) describe the circumstance that caused an injury, not the condition treated. The Medicare Code Editor rejects them as a principal diagnosis; sequence the injury or condition first and report this code as secondary.

From the code registry, the Medicare Code Editor, and the MS-DRG Definitions Manual. Check it against a full claim in Claim Check.

Relationships & Classification

MedCoder structured relationships — computed from published CMS and AHRQ datasets

Other codes that name Y38 or its code family, from the CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes. Tabular-note edges are stored at the code family level that carries each note.

Referenced by 17 Excludes1 notes: X92 — Assault by drowning and submersion, X92-Y09 — Assault (X92-Y09), X93 — Assault by handgun discharge, X94 — Assault by rifle, shotgun and larger firearm discharge, X95 — Assault by other and unspecified firearm and gun discharge, X96 — Assault by explosive material, X97 — Assault by smoke, fire and flames, X98 — Assault by steam, hot vapors and hot objects, X99 — Assault by sharp object, Y00 — Assault by blunt object, Y01 — Assault by pushing from high place, Y02 — Assault by pushing or placing victim in front of moving object, Y03 — Assault by crashing of motor vehicle, Y04 — Assault by bodily force, Y07 — Perpetrator of assault, maltreatment and neglect, Y08 — Assault by other specified means, Y09 — Assault by unspecified means.

These codes’ tabular lists mark this diagnosis as mutually exclusive — not reported together unless the conditions are documented as unrelated.

Contextual Map

Every relationship of Y38 in one view: hierarchy, official tabular instructions in both directions, clinical classification, risk adjustment, MS-DRG participation, index terms and change history — each edge carrying the CMS source it derives from.

Run Y38 with these 9 related codes in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Use Additional Code

Referenced by Excludes1 notes (17)

Nearest codes (149)

Change history

  • FY2016 — In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption [Change history]— CMS release files (code change ledger) · icd10cm-fy2016

Common coding questions

Can Y38 be billed directly?

No. Y38 (Terrorism) is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code. A more specific billable subcode must be selected based on clinical documentation.

Does Y38 require a 7th character?

Yes. The appropriate 7th character is to be added to each code from category Y38; A: initial encounter; D: subsequent encounter; S: sequela.

Sources for this page

Codes, titles, notes, index terms and mappings on this page are transcribed from the datasets below. Relationships MedCoder computed and text MedCoder wrote are labelled where they appear.

Code, title, tabular notes and index terms Official source data
CMS/CDC ICD-10-CM FY2026 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2025 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Coding guidelines Official source data
ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting (FY2026), quoted by section Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Claim edits Official source data
CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v43.1 (April 2026) Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Change history and date-of-service validity Official source data
CMS ICD-10-CM release addenda, ingested release by release into the change ledger Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Comparisons, relationships and the contextual map MedCoder structured relationship
Computed by MedCoder from the tabular notes and tables above; every derived relationship is marked as derived where it appears
Summary and FAQ answers MedCoder explanation
Written by MedCoder to explain the sources above: drafted with AI assistance, checked by a person against the release files, and labelled as MedCoder text where it appears. Not official text.

Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder structured relationship · MedCoder explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates

Cite this page

Reference this page in a research guide, syllabus or article. The release is included because code content changes each year.

MedCoder.ai. "Y38 — Terrorism." ICD-10-CM FY2026. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/y38-terrorism

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Terrorism

No changes since FY2016 — additions, deletions, description changes and billable-status changes are tracked through FY2027 (effective October 1, 2026), and none are recorded for this code. Note changes are tracked from FY2027 only.

Nearest Codes in This Family

Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to Y38 in its code family, with their registry titles.