Z59.02 Unsheltered homelessness

Billable ICD-10-CM code, FY2026. Acts as a Complication or Comorbidity (CC) as a secondary diagnosis. Exempt from present-on-admission (POA) reporting.

Applicable to

• Lives in a homeless encampment
• Residing in place not meant for human habitation such as: abandoned buildings, cars, parks, sidewalk
• Residing on the street

Applies from Z59 Problems related to housing and economic circumstances

Excludes2 (not included here)

• problems related to upbringing (Z62.-)

MS-DRG index

Defines the logic of DRG(s) 951 in MDC 23.

Medicare Code Edits (MCE v43.1 (April 2026))

• Unacceptable principal diagnosis: These codes describe a circumstance which influences care but is not a current illness or injury, or capture only an underlying condition, and are unacceptable as principal diagnosis.

Code annotations containing back-references to Z59.02

Back-references to Z59.0

• Type 1 Excludes: Z76.4 Other boarder to healthcare facility ("homelessness (Z59.0-)")

Back-references to Z59

• Type 2 Excludes: Z56 Problems related to employment and unemployment ("problems related to housing and economic circumstances (Z59.-)")
• Type 2 Excludes: Z62 Problems related to upbringing ("problems related to housing and economic circumstances (Z59.-)")
• Type 2 Excludes: Z72 Problems related to lifestyle ("problems related to socioeconomic and psychosocial circumstances (Z55-Z65)")
• Type 2 Excludes: Z73 Problems related to life management difficulty ("problems related to socioeconomic and psychosocial circumstances (Z55-Z65)")

Diagnosis Index entries for Z59.02

• Homelessness › unsheltered
• Lack of › shelter
• Lives in a homeless encampment
• Person (with) › living (in) › without › shelter
• Residing › in place not meant for human habitation (abandoned building) (car) (park) (sidewalk)
• Residing › on the street

Nearby codes

• Z59 Problems related to housing and economic circumstances
• Z59.0 Homelessness
• Z59.00 Homelessness unspecified
• Z59.01 Sheltered homelessness
• Z59.02 Unsheltered homelessness (this code)
• Z59.1 Inadequate housing
• Z59.10 Inadequate housing, unspecified
• Z59.11 Inadequate housing environmental temperature
• Z59.12 Inadequate housing utilities
• Z59.19 Other inadequate housing