NEMT billing codes: every HCPCS code and modifier transportation providers use
Overview
NEMT claims use HCPCS Level II codes. A0080 to A0210 cover volunteer and family mileage, taxi, bus, wheelchair van, air, and meals and lodging. S0209 and S0215 are mileage codes. T2001 to T2049 cover escorts, trips, stretcher vans, and waiting time. Medicare pays none of them. Each state Medicaid program decides which codes it accepts, and many require origin and destination modifiers.
On this page
How NEMT billing codes work
Every NEMT claim line carries a HCPCS Level II code. HCPCS is the national code set CMS maintains for services, supplies, and transportation that CPT codes do not cover. CMS updates the file every quarter. The October 2026 file shows no change to any NEMT code, so the list below is current.
Most trips are billed as two lines:
- A base code for the one-way trip at the service level the rider needs, such as a wheelchair van or stretcher van.
- A mileage code for the loaded miles on that trip, billed in units of one mile.
Escorts, waiting time, tolls, and meals and lodging go on their own lines when your program pays for them.
Two facts shape everything else:
- Medicare pays none of these codes. In the CMS file, every NEMT code in the tables below carries coverage code I, “Not payable by Medicare.” The S codes also carry a CMS note that they were created for private payer use. Medicare covers ambulance transport, which has its own codes. See does Medicare cover NEMT for the details.
- Each state decides which codes it accepts. The descriptions are national. The choice of codes, units, modifiers, and rates belongs to your state Medicaid program, your managed care plan, or your broker.
The NEMT HCPCS codes
The descriptions below are the official long descriptors from the CMS October 2026 HCPCS file. Each code links to its own glossary page with more detail.
Trip and base codes
| Code | Official description | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| A0100 | Non-emergency transportation; taxi | Taxi or sedan trip |
| A0110 | Non-emergency transportation and bus, intra or inter state carrier | Bus tickets and transit passes |
| A0120 | Non-emergency transportation: mini-bus, mountain area transports, or other transportation systems | Ambulatory van or mobility vehicle trip |
| A0130 | Non-emergency transportation: wheelchair van | Wheelchair van trip |
| A0140 | Non-emergency transportation and air travel (private or commercial) intra or inter state | Commercial air and, in some states, train |
| T2003 | Non-emergency transportation; encounter/trip | Per-trip base used by some states for any ambulatory trip |
| T2004 | Non-emergency transport; commercial carrier, multi-pass | Multi-passenger or commercial carrier trips |
| T2005 | Non-emergency transportation; stretcher van | Stretcher van trip |
Mileage codes
| Code | Official description | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| S0209 | Wheelchair van, mileage, per mile | Wheelchair van miles |
| S0215 | Non-emergency transportation; mileage, per mile | Sedan, ambulatory van, or taxi miles |
| T2049 | Non-emergency transportation; stretcher van, mileage; per mile | Stretcher van miles |
| A0080 | Non-emergency transportation, per mile - vehicle provided by volunteer (individual or organization), with no vested interest | Volunteer driver mileage |
| A0090 | Non-emergency transportation, per mile - vehicle provided by individual (family member, self, neighbor) with vested interest | Family, friend, or self mileage reimbursement |
| A0160 | Non-emergency transportation: per mile - case worker or social worker | Case worker driving a member |
Escort, waiting time, and travel costs
| Code | Official description | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| T2001 | Non-emergency transportation; patient attendant/escort | Attendant or escort on the trip |
| T2002 | Non-emergency transportation; per diem | Daily rate where a state pays one |
| T2007 | Transportation waiting time, air ambulance and non-emergency vehicle, one-half (1/2) hour increments | Paid wait time, in half-hour units |
| A0170 | Transportation ancillary: parking fees, tolls, other | Tolls and parking |
| A0180 | Non-emergency transportation: ancillary: lodging-recipient | Member lodging |
| A0190 | Non-emergency transportation: ancillary: meals-recipient | Member meals |
| A0200 | Non-emergency transportation: ancillary: lodging escort | Escort lodging |
| A0210 | Non-emergency transportation: ancillary: meals-escort | Escort meals |
A0170 through A0210 are covered together on the NEMT ancillary codes page.
Origin and destination modifiers
Origin and destination modifiers are two-letter codes that tell the payer where a trip started and ended, such as RJ for a trip from home to a freestanding dialysis center and JR for the ride back. The origin and destination modifiers entry has the letters, the common pairs and how states use them, and the TK, TN and U modifier entries cover the other modifiers a NEMT claim picks up.
How states code the same trip differently
The table shows how a few programs code their most common trips. It uses each state’s current fee-for-service manual or fee schedule.
| State | Wheelchair van | Ambulatory or sedan | Stretcher van |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | A0130 + S0209 | A0120 or A0100 + S0215 | T2005 + T2049 |
| Indiana | A0130 + A0425 U5 | T2003 + A0425 U3 | Not covered |
| California (Medi-Cal) | A0130 + A0380 | A0120 + A0390 (non-medical transportation) | T2005 + A0380 |
| New York | A0130 + S0209 | A0100 + S0215 | T2005, plus T2049 in some counties |
| North Dakota | A0130 + S0209 | A0100, A0120, S0215 | T2005 + T2049 |
| Texas | T2003 + U1, U2, or U3 | T2003 + U1, U2, or U3 | Not in the MTP code list |
Texas’s Medical Transportation Program handbook tells demand response providers to bill T2003 with modifier U1, U2, or U3, and each modifier carries its own rate. Minnesota pays by the rider’s assessed mode rather than the vehicle that shows up. For the dollar amounts behind these codes, see how much Medicaid pays for NEMT.
Coding mistakes that cost money
Most coding denials trace back to a few habits:
- Using a national code a state no longer accepts. Colorado dropped A0425 for non-ambulance mileage for trips on or after July 1, 2025. Indiana treats S0215 as nonreimbursable and wants A0425 with a U modifier.
- Billing the vehicle instead of the level of need. Colorado only pays wheelchair van codes when the rider’s medical professional has stated in writing that the rider is wheelchair confined. Without that statement, a wheelchair van trip is billed with the mobility vehicle codes.
- Splitting mileage. Indiana requires round-trip mileage on one line and bans fragmented mileage.
- Rounding miles the wrong way. Colorado accepts whole units only. Indiana rounds 15.5 miles up to 16 and 15.4 miles down to 15.
- Missing modifiers. Where a state requires origin and destination modifiers, a line without them can deny outright.
When a line does deny, the reason code on the payment report tells you which rule you broke. Our guide to NEMT claim denials explains how to read those codes. The CMS-1500 guide shows where each code and modifier goes on the form.
Keeping trip details on record
Every code and modifier depends on facts from the trip itself: the service level, the pickup and drop-off addresses, and the loaded miles. In HealthRide, each trip leg keeps its service level, addresses, times, and GPS-recorded miles, and the trip log report exports them as a spreadsheet or PDF. When a payer questions a line, the record of the ride is already there.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the HCPCS code for a wheelchair van trip?
- A0130, "Non-emergency transportation: wheelchair van," is the base code for one wheelchair van trip in most states. Mileage is billed on a separate line, usually S0209 (wheelchair van mileage, per mile). Some states use a different mileage code: Indiana uses A0425 with modifier U5 and Medi-Cal uses A0380. Check your state manual before you bill.
- Can I bill A0425 for wheelchair van or sedan mileage?
- Only where your state tells you to. A0425 is the ground ambulance mileage code. Some Medicaid programs still use it for non-ambulance mileage, including Indiana and Illinois. Colorado stopped accepting it for non-ambulance trips on July 1, 2025 and now requires S0215 or S0209. Billing it in the wrong state is a quick denial.
- Does Medicare accept NEMT codes like A0130 or T2003?
- No. In the CMS HCPCS file every NEMT code on this page, from A0080 through T2049, carries coverage code I, "Not payable by Medicare." Medicare covers ambulance transport, which uses different codes such as A0428 for a non-emergency basic life support run. NEMT codes exist for Medicaid, Medicaid managed care plans, and other payers.
- Are NEMT billing codes the same in every state?
- The codes and their official descriptions are national, but each state chooses which ones to accept, what they pay, and which modifiers go with them. The same wheelchair trip is A0130 plus S0209 in Colorado and A0130 plus A0425 U5 in Indiana. Always bill from your state Medicaid manual or your broker contract, not from a national list.
- How often do HCPCS codes change?
- CMS publishes HCPCS updates every quarter. The NEMT codes themselves have been stable for years; the October 2026 file shows no change to any of them. What changes more often is state policy: which code a state wants for mileage, which modifiers it requires, and what it pays.
