While the note on OTI03 explains why the OTI03 is not necessarily useful but because it's required it must be sent, the last line of the element note indicates: "In each of these cases, the OTI03 value serves no useful purpose. However, since this element is required by the X12 standard, the value ‘NA’ will always be used." The words "NA will always be used" does not seem to indicate it MUST always be used, rather it implies that it will be used but when the other parts of the element note do not apply. Please clarify the intent of the "the value ‘NA’ will always be used " (using other segments convey the information needed (as indicated in the element note, such as REF, DTM, AMT, QTY)) and whether it prohibits the use of OTI03 with a value other than "NA" or allows something other than "NA".
The OTI03 data element is designed to contain a value to uniquely identify the transaction, batch, or item, as noted in the OTI02. The OTI03 should contain the primary identifier value of the transaction, batch, or item being acknowledged, when known. Since the OTI03 value is required per the 5010 standard the value of "NA" shall be used when the identifier is unknown. The OTI segment TR3 examples provided in the 5010 824 TR3 show numeric values in the OTI03 demonstrating the intent that values other than "NA" are allowed. When OTI02 is equal to TN and the creator of the 824 knows the ST02 or TRN02 value of the original transaction set to which this 824 is responding, said ST02 must be reported here except in the case of the 820 and 835, then use the TRN02. In other cases, if the creator of the 824 has access to a reference identifier from the original transaction set appropriate for this level of reporting (Batch, Item, or Transaction, as indicated by OTI02), said identifier must be reported here. If the creator of the 824 does not have access to an appropriate identifier from the original transaction set appropriate for this level of reporting, the constant value `NA' will be used in order to satisfy X12 syntactical requirements.
NA