# Error Messages and Troubleshooting

This section includes general information regarding signing outpatient controlled substance orders for the Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substance features (ePCS), errors the user might see, and some possible causes.

Possible hardware problems:

- The card reader is not working. To check, try the user’s card in another workstation’s card reader.
- The card is damaged or broken. To check, insert the card into a reader that you know works.

What does a user need to be able to digitally sign outpatient controlled substances prescriptions?

Providers must have the following to be able to prescribe outpatient controlled substance medication orders:

- Must be an active user

- Must have the provider key

- Must be authorized to write medications in File 200

- Must have the ORES key

- DEA# (that has not expired, but a date must be entered), VA#

- Assigned Pharmacy schedules for which the provider can prescribe (some combination of schedules 2-5, or all schedules 2-5)

- The ePCS USER ENABLE/DISABLE option enabled

- PIV or smart card and PIN

- Subject Alternative Name (SAN), usually the user’s Outlook email address, which must be linked from the PIV or smart card to the user’s VistA account

Is the user prescribing from a remote location?

The ActivClient software must be installed on the remote workstation or ePCS will not work.

What do the error messages that the user might see during the signing process mean?

| Error Message | Cause
1. | Order for controlled substance could not be completed. Provider does not have a current, valid DEA# on record and is ineligible to sign the order. | There is no DEA Number in file 200 for this provider, or this provider does not have a VA#, or this provider’s VA# could not be used because either the facility DEA number is expired, or the provider is not a VA provider (only VA providers may use VA numbers). Contact your CAC or support person who can check on this for you. Note: With patch OR*3*499, a provider must have a DEA number in the NEW DEA#’s multiple field to order controlled substances. DEA numbers in the obsolete DEA NUMBER field are ignored.
2. | Order for controlled substance could not be completed. Provider is not authorized to prescribe medications in Federal Schedule X [X is one of 2, 2N, 3, 3N, 4, or 5]. | In the provider’s ePCS set up, they have not been assigned permission to write for the specified schedule. Your CAC should know who is responsible for assigning the schedules. If a provider is using their individual DEA number, the schedules associated with the DEA number in the DEA NUMBERS file (#8991.9) are used to determine privileges. If using VA# or an institutional DEA number to order controlled substances, the provider’s personal schedules in file 200 are used to determine permissions. Note: With patch OR*3*499, if a provider has more than one DEA number, the error message specifically applies to the DEA number flagged ‘Use for Inpatient Orders’ in the DEA NUMBERS file (#8991.9).
3. | Order for controlled substance could not be completed. Provider’s DEA# expired on DATE [ex:JAN 01, 2012] and no VA# is assigned. Provider is ineligible to sign the order. | The text is clear. The provider’s DEA number has expired and the provider does not have a VA number. Contact your ADPAC or CAC to find out who enters credentialing information through the Data Entry for ePrescribing Controlled Substances application to get this corrected. Note: With patch OR*3*499, if a provider has more than one DEA number, the error message specifically applies to the DEA number flagged ‘Use for Inpatient Orders’ in the DEA NUMBERS file (#8991.9).
4. | Digital Signing of Controlled Substances is currently disabled for your site. | The prescriber tries to sign and the ePCS switch (OR EPCS SITE PARAMETER) is disabled for the site.
5. | You are not currently permitted to digitally sign Controlled Substances. | The prescriber tries to sign and the ePCS switch (OR EPCS SITE PARAMTER) is disabled for the site.
6. | Problem getting PIN. Cannot Digitally Sign. | There are issues reading the PIV or smart card/retrieving the PIN. Contact your CAC or ADPAC for assistance.
7. | Card has been locked. Cannot Digitally Sign. | The card is locked in CPRS after 3 failed attempts at PIV PIN entry. This error occurs when the user attempts to sign while the card is locked. It will be automatically unlocked after 15 minutes. Warning: Be careful! 5 consecutive incorrect PIN entry attempts will lock the card and you will have to go to your PIV office station to reinstate or create a new card!
8. | Digital Signing has been cancelled. | The digital signature process has been cancelled by CPRS. This error usually shows after another problem has occurred.
9. | Could not digitally sign. An error has occurred: Hash generation failed. | The system has issues creating the hash. The hash is created using the data from the order and a specific value. This process is repeated in Pharmacy during finishing and the hash values are compared to see if anything has been changed.
10. | Please verify that you are logged on to the CPRS system and that your PIV card is inserted. There is a possible mismatch between your VistA last name and the last name of the certificate on your card. If it matches and you are still experiencing issues, please contact your card issuer for assistance. | When a user tries to link his/her PIV card to another VistA user logged into CPRS, a series of error messages will appear after PIN entry Contact your CAC or ADPAC for assistance.
11. | CPRS was not able to link your VistA account to a PIV card. | When a user tries to link his/her PIV card to another VistA user logged into CPRS, a series of error messages will appear after PIN entry.
12. | 89802006^Smart Card Reader not found | As stated, the card reader was not found. Contact your local IRM shop.
13. | Problems with verifying certificate chain of authority | Network problems connecting to the verifying servers Tumbleweed may not be installed on the PKI Verify Server machine or the workstation or is not installed correctly. Contact your CAC or ADPAC for assistance.
14. | Valid Certificate not found | No valid certificate to use was found on the card. Contact your CAC or ADPAC for assistance.
15. | Returned from CertSignData with failure | Obtained a valid certificate, but failed to sign data correctly. Contact your CAC or ADPAC for assistance.
16. | Certificate not valid: 89802019^Before Cert effective date. | The current date when the user tries to sign is before the certificate’s effective date. Contact your CAC or ADPAC for assistance.
17. | Certificate not valid: 89802020^Certificate expired. | The certificate on the card has expired. The PIV card needs to be renewed. Contact your PIV office.
18. | Could not acquire context Last Error value was “specific message for the error” | Often means that the ActivClient on that machine needs to be reinstalled. First, the user should try to digitally sign from another workstation, and if that works, then it is probably ActivClient or the card reader hardware.
19. | Invalid PIN entry - You only have ## attempts left before it is locked. | This error message displays when the user enters an incorrect PIN one or two times. The message tells the user how many times another incorrect PIN can be entered before CPRS locks ordering for the card. The order will be left unsigned. Warning! If a user incorrectly enters the PIN 5 consecutive times, the card will be completely locked and will require the full PIV station to reinstate or create a new card!
20. | That was three (3) unsuccessful tries, the Card Reader is Locked | The user entered an incorrect PIN three consecutive times. CPRS locks access to the card. The order will be left unsigned. Warning! If a user incorrectly enters the PIN 5 consecutive times, the card will be completely locked and will require the full PIV station to reinstate or create a new card!
21. | PIN Entry was cancelled | The user cancelled PIN entry and stopped the digital signature process. The order will be left unsigned.
22. | Unable to read the information from your card. Possible mismatch between your VistA last name and the last name of the certificate on your card. | No matching certificate found when trying to get the SAN from the PIV card to link. Contact your CAC or ADPAC for assistance.
23. | Revocation failed - error: “specific text for the error” | The revocation server that checks to see if a certificate has been revoked or expired couldn’t be reached over the network. Contact your CAC or ADPAC for assistance.
24. | Could not open the Cert Store | This appears to be a problem with ActivClient. Please check ActivClient and reinstall if necessary. Contact your CAC or ADPAC for assistance.
25. | Did not find a Cert | This error comes from other programs outside of CPRS. The cause may not be as easily determined as other errors. Contact your CAC or ADPAC for assistance.
26. | 89802010^Signature Error – “specific text for the error” | This error comes from other programs outside of CPRS. The cause may not be as easily determined as other errors.
27. | 89802009^Signature Check failed | This error comes from other programs outside of CPRS. The cause may not be as easily determined as other errors.
28. | Digital signature verification failed: “specific text for the error” | This error comes from other programs outside of CPRS. The cause may not be as easily determined as other errors. Contact your CAC or ADPAC for assistance.
31. | Keyset error | This error appears to relate a bad SAN being stored for the user. Contact your CAC or ADPAC for assistance.