A8002 — Helmet, protective, soft, custom fabricated, includes all components and accessories
A8002 is a HCPCS Level II code for helmet, protective, soft, custom fabricated, includes all components and accessories. It belongs to the Transportation, Medical & Surgical Supplies, Administrative section. Whether Medicare pays it depends on the coverage rule below.
Medicare coverage: Carrier judgment
Coverage is decided by your Medicare contractor, not by national policy. Whether this is paid depends on the LCD for your jurisdiction and on what the documentation supports.
From the coverage field of the CMS Alpha-Numeric HCPCS File, release 2026Q3-Jul. This states Medicare’s position on the code, not on your particular claim.
Physician fee schedule statusX
Statutory exclusion. The item or service is not within the statutory definition of 'physician services', so the fee schedule never pays it.
Global period: XXX
Want the dollar amount for your locality? The fee calculator applies your GPCI and the current conversion factor.
Medically Unlikely Edits — units per day
The most units of A8002 Medicare will pay on one date of service. Bill more on a single line and it is denied. The limit is not the same in every setting, so the row that matters is the one matching the claim you are building.
- practitioner
- 0 — never payable MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · CMS Policy
- outpatient
- 0 — never payable MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · CMS Policy
- DME supplier
- 0 — never payable MAI 3 — Date of Service Edit: Clinical · CMS Policy
The adjudication indicator decides whether exceeding the limit is worth appealing at all: MAI 1 is a line edit you can support with documentation, MAI 3 is a date-of-service edit that is also appealable, and MAI 2 is absolute — no documentation overrides it. CMS MUE 2026Q3.
The CMS record for A8002
- Long descriptor
- Helmet, protective, soft, custom fabricated, includes all components and accessories
- Short descriptor
- Soft protect helmet custom
- Added
- January 1, 2007
- BETOS
- D1E
- Pricing indicator
- 45 — DMEPOS
The official wording. This is what the code means.
CMS's 28-character form, which is what shows up on a remittance advice.
When CMS introduced the code.
Berenson-Eggers Type of Service — CMS's own analytic grouping.
Customized DME items.
Codes adjacent to A8002
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If A8002 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- A7522Tracheostomy/laryngectomy tube, stainless steel or equal (sterilizable and reusable), each
- A7523Tracheostomy shower protector, each
- A7524Tracheostoma stent/stud/button, each
- A7525Tracheostomy mask, each
- A7526Tracheostomy tube collar/holder, each
- A7527Tracheostomy/laryngectomy tube plug/stop, each
- A8000Helmet, protective, soft, prefabricated, includes all components and accessories
- A8001Helmet, protective, hard, prefabricated, includes all components and accessories
- A8003Helmet, protective, hard, custom fabricated, includes all components and accessories
- A8004Soft interface for helmet, replacement only
- A8005Powered, cable driven grip assist glove, hand, finger, includes microprocessor, pressure sensors, all components and accessories, custom fitted
- A8006Powered, cable driven grip assist glove, hand, finger, includes pressure sensors, glove replacement only
- A9150Non-prescription drugs
- A9152Single vitamin/mineral/trace element, oral, per dose, not otherwise specified
- A9153Multiple vitamins, with or without minerals and trace elements, oral, per dose, not otherwise specified
- A9154Artificial saliva, 1 ml
Questions about A8002
What is HCPCS code A8002?
A8002 is a HCPCS Level II code for helmet, protective, soft, custom fabricated, includes all components and accessories. It sits in the Transportation, Medical & Surgical Supplies, Administrative section.
Does Medicare cover A8002?
The CMS HCPCS file marks A8002 as "Carrier judgment". Coverage is decided by your Medicare contractor, not by national policy. Whether this is paid depends on the LCD for your jurisdiction and on what the documentation supports.
How is A8002 paid under the physician fee schedule?
A8002 carries PFS status code X. Statutory exclusion. The item or service is not within the statutory definition of 'physician services', so the fee schedule never pays it.