Broda chairs in NEMT: which models can ride occupied, and when a stretcher fits better
A Broda chair is a tilt-in-space positioning wheelchair made by Broda Seating and common in nursing homes. A rider can stay seated in one during a ride only if it was built with Broda's WC19 transport package or is the Traversa, Broda's chair made for NEMT vans. Broda's manual says a chair without that option must not be occupied in a moving vehicle.
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What a Broda chair is
Broda Seating makes manual tilt-in-space positioning wheelchairs for people with limited mobility or complex seating needs. Caregivers tilt the seat back as a unit, and many models also recline, to help with posture and to shift pressure off the skin. Broda notes that tilt alone must pass 25 degrees to relieve pressure. A care facility may send a resident out already seated in one, and that is when the questions below come up.
Their size is the first practical problem. Broda’s Traversa, the model built for vehicles, is 27 5/8 inches wide and 58 inches long with the leg rest down, and 73 inches long fully reclined. The ADA’s minimum clear floor space at a securement station is 30 by 48 inches, and an ADA lift platform must leave at least 30 by 48 inches of clear space just above its surface. Measure the chair, your lift or ramp, the door opening, and the station before you accept the trip.
Which Broda chairs can carry a rider in a vehicle
Only chairs built for it. Broda’s Synthesis manual puts it plainly: without the vehicle transport option, the chair “does NOT meet the federal standard for motor vehicle seating,” and no one should sit in it while the vehicle moves.
| Chair | Occupied in a vehicle? |
|---|---|
| Built with Broda’s WC19 transport package (listed for the Elite, Encore Pedal, Encore Rehab, and Synthesis) | Yes, forward facing and set up as the manual directs |
| Traversa transport chair | Yes. Crash tested to WC19, rated up to 450 pounds |
| Any Broda chair without the transport option | No. Transfer the rider or book another mode |
The transport option adds front and rear securement brackets, aluminum front casters, a WC19 lap belt with its anchor, and a footrest tether that must stay attached. Broda crash-tested the Synthesis version at 30 mph and 20 g in one setup, a 24-inch seat at 13 degrees of tilt. It asks for tiedowns that meet SAE J2249, and it still recommends moving the rider to a vehicle seat when possible. A chair involved in a vehicle accident comes out of service at once.
Securing a transport-rated Broda chair
- Face the chair forward. Broda’s manual allows no other direction.
- Set the tilt to the tested position before anything else.
- Hook all four tiedowns to Broda’s brackets. University of Michigan guidance on tilt-in-space chairs warns that changing the tilt after the straps are tight can leave them slack, especially when some points sit on the seat and others on the base.
- Belt the rider with a pelvic belt low on the hips and a shoulder belt. Chair positioning belts can stay on but never replace them.
- Remove trays and loose accessories and secure them separately.
When a stretcher is the right call
Book a stretcher when the chair is not rated for transport and the rider cannot move to a seat. Also book one when the rider cannot tolerate the chair’s tested seating position for the length of the ride. Stretcher service has its own entry criteria, set by each program. New York’s manual covers riders confined to bed who are unable to use a wheelchair and require no medical attention en route. Virginia’s requires a medically stable rider who needs no monitoring, aid, or care during the trip. Get the facility’s medical necessity form updated to match, and see stretcher transportation for crew and equipment rules.
Broda markets the Traversa to transport companies as a chair one staff member can handle. Its seat height adjusts from 22.5 to 32 inches, and it reclines flat for sliding transfers. Whether a ride in one bills at the wheelchair or stretcher level depends on the payer’s rules, so check before you quote it.
In HealthRide, a Broda chair ride booked as a wheelchair or stretcher trip goes on the dispatch board with that need attached, so it is matched to a van equipped for it.
Frequently asked questions
- How can a driver tell if a Broda chair is rated for transport?
- Look for the transport hardware: front and rear tie-down brackets on the frame and a lap belt that anchors to the chair and is labeled as WC19 compliant. For the Synthesis, Broda's manual says the vehicle transport option is factory installed only and cannot be retrofitted, so a Synthesis without the brackets was not built for it. When in doubt, ask the facility for the chair's paperwork or call Broda.
- Can a Broda chair ride tilted back?
- Only in the position the maker tested. Broda crash-tested its Synthesis transport chair at a 13 degree seat tilt and does not recommend carrying a rider in any other position. The Traversa tilts up to 20 degrees and reclines up to 90. Set the position before you tighten the tiedowns, and do not change it on the road, because tilting a chair after the straps are tight can leave them slack.
- Who pays when a Broda chair rider needs a stretcher?
- The same payer that covers the ride, at the stretcher level, if the rider qualifies. Programs define that level narrowly. New York reserves stretcher service for bed-confined riders who are unable to sit up in a wheelchair and require no monitoring on the way, and Virginia requires medically stable riders who need no monitoring or care during the trip. A rider who needs monitoring goes by ambulance.
