Litter van: Medi-Cal's name for a stretcher van
A litter van is California Medi-Cal's term for a stretcher van: a vehicle equipped to carry a medically stable patient on a litter or gurney, without the medical staff and equipment of an ambulance. Medi-Cal covers it when the patient must travel lying down because they cannot sit for the trip. Fee-for-service trips bill T2005, up to $26.29, plus $1.50 a mile under A0380.
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What Title 22 means by litter van
California’s Medi-Cal regulations use “litter van” where most other programs say stretcher van. Title 22, section 51151.3 defines it as a vehicle “modified, equipped and used for the purpose of providing nonemergency medical transportation for those patients with stable medical conditions who require the use of a litter or gurney,” and not routinely equipped with the medical equipment or personnel of an ambulance.
Medi-Cal sorts nonemergency medical transportation into three vehicle types: ambulance, litter van, and wheelchair van. Section 51323 sets the test for the middle one. The patient’s condition must:
- Require travel in a prone or supine position, because the patient cannot sit for the time the trip takes.
- Call for safety equipment beyond what a car, taxi, or public transit offers.
- Be stable enough that the patient needs no constant observation or ambulance-level care.
Medi-Cal only approves the lowest-cost mode adequate for the patient and available at the time of the trip. So a rider able to stay seated in a wheelchair for the drive belongs in a wheelchair van, and a rider needing observation belongs in an ambulance.
Crew and equipment
Section 51231.1 staffs every litter van with a certified driver and an attendant. Both must be at least 18, hold a California driver license or ambulance driver certificate, carry at least a Red Cross standard first aid certificate or equivalent, and have passed a physical exam within the last two years with a current DMV form DL-51.
The vehicle must carry, at minimum:
- Two gurney-width openings: the loading door and a second emergency exit.
- A two-man gurney, mattress, restraining straps top and bottom, and a cot fastener on the floor or wall.
- Fasteners strong enough to keep the gurney from rolling, sliding, or leaving the floor, and to hold it and the patient if the van overturns.
- An attendant seat in the patient compartment, approved belts for both crew members, and door latches that work from inside and outside.
- Heating and air conditioning in the patient area, one interior light, a battery-powered portable light, and a 4-B:C fire extinguisher.
- Company lettering (capitals 4 inches high or more) on the left, right, and back of the van, with no ambulance markings anywhere.
Patients stay strapped to the gurney while being loaded, unloaded, and driven, and neither crew member may smoke in the van during a trip.
Codes, rates, and authorization
Fee-for-service litter van trips use these codes. The rates are Medi-Cal’s maximum allowances, from the billing codes page updated September 2023, and providers bill their usual charge up to that amount.
| Code | Service | Maximum allowance |
|---|---|---|
| T2005 | Litter (stretcher) van, per trip | $26.29 |
| T2005 UJ | Night call, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. | $32.42 |
| A0380 | Mileage, wheelchair and litter vans only | $1.50 per mile |
| T2001 | Patient attendant or escort | $5.52 |
| T2007 | Wait time, each 30 minutes beyond the first 15 minutes (three units at most) | $11.30 |
Fee-for-service authorization. Every trip needs an approved TAR from the Medi-Cal TAR Processing Center, backed by the prescriber’s written order. Recurring trips need more: the paperwork has to show the condition is long-term and attach a treatment plan from the physician or therapist, since naming a diagnosis such as stroke is not enough. Discharges from an acute hospital to a level A or B nursing facility are the single exception, with no TAR required when the claim carries HN and QN.
Managed care authorization. Medi-Cal plans must have an approved Physician Certification Statement prescribing the mode before they authorize NEMT, and recurring authorizations can run up to 12 months with a standing order. Health Net, for example, reminded providers on July 31, 2026 that gurney, stretcher, or litter van trips in Fresno, Kings, and Madera counties need a signed PCS form. The California state guide explains how plans and brokers arrange rides, and our Medi-Cal rates guide covers the other codes.
Litter vans compared with stretcher vans elsewhere
The idea is the same across states, but crews, equipment, and pay differ.
| Program | Name | Key rule | Fee-for-service pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medi-Cal | Litter van | Driver plus attendant, two-man gurney on board | $26.29 per trip plus $1.50 per mile |
| Minnesota | Stretcher transport (mode 7) | Rider travels prone or supine; pay follows the assessed mode | From July 1, 2026: a $60 base, $2.54 for each loaded mile, and $9 when a second attendant is medically necessary |
| Illinois | Stretcher van (IDPH license) | Two trained attendants minimum, with CPR cards and stretcher training | T2005 at $9.31 in Cook and the collar counties, $11.64 elsewhere (January 1, 2026 schedule) |
| New Jersey | Mobility assistance vehicle (MAV) | No stretchers or litters may be carried in a MAV | Not a MAV service |
See stretcher transportation for the general service level and a wider state comparison.
In HealthRide, a litter van trip carries its stretcher need, and the dispatch board stops you before it goes to a vehicle that is not stretcher capable.
Frequently asked questions
- Who qualifies for a litter van in Medi-Cal?
- Someone whose condition forces them to lie flat on their back or front for the whole ride, who needs more room or equipment than a car or taxi has, and whose condition is steady enough that no one has to watch them constantly. Medi-Cal's own examples are riders in a spica cast, bed-bound riders, stable patients after surgery who cannot tolerate sitting, and people with chronic conditions who need oxygen but no monitoring.
- Does a litter van trip need prior authorization?
- Almost always. Fee-for-service trips go through a TAR, and the prescriber's order attached to it has to give the reason for the trip, its frequency or dates, and why normal transportation will not work for this patient. Hospital discharges to a level A or B nursing facility skip the TAR when billed with HN and QN. Health plans instead want a signed Physician Certification Statement on file before they approve the ride.
- Can a litter van also carry wheelchair riders?
- Yes, if it also meets every wheelchair van requirement in Title 22, section 51231.2. Among other items, that means seating for two or more patients in standard wheelchairs, a 450-pound-capacity lift or ramp secured to the van, and tiedowns that keep occupied chairs in place even in a rollover.
