K0005 — Ultralightweight wheelchair
K0005 is a HCPCS Level II code for ultralightweight wheelchair. It belongs to the Durable Medical Equipment (DME MAC Temporary) 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.
Medically Unlikely Edits — units per day
The most units of K0005 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
- 1 unit MAI 2 — Date of Service Edit: Policy · Code Descriptor / CPT Instruction
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 K0005
- Long descriptor
- Ultralightweight wheelchair
- Short descriptor
- Ultralightweight wheelchair
- Added
- January 1, 1994
- BETOS
- D1D
- Pricing indicator
- 32 — 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.
Inexpensive and routinely purchased DME. Price subject to floors and ceilings.
Codes adjacent to K0005
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If K0005 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- J9400Injection, ziv-aflibercept, 1 mg
- J9600Injection, porfimer sodium, 75 mg
- J9601Injection, linvoseltamab-gcpt, 1 mg
- J9999Not otherwise classified, antineoplastic drugs
- K0001Standard wheelchair
- K0002Standard hemi (low seat) wheelchair
- K0003Lightweight wheelchair
- K0004High strength, lightweight wheelchair
- K0006Heavy duty wheelchair
- K0007Extra heavy duty wheelchair
- K0008Custom manual wheelchair/base
- K0009Other manual wheelchair/base
- K0010Standard - weight frame motorized/power wheelchair
- K0011Standard - weight frame motorized/power wheelchair with programmable control parameters for speed adjustment, tremor dampening, acceleration control and braking
- K0012Lightweight portable motorized/power wheelchair
- K0013Custom motorized/power wheelchair base
Questions about K0005
What is HCPCS code K0005?
K0005 is a HCPCS Level II code for ultralightweight wheelchair. It sits in the Durable Medical Equipment (DME MAC Temporary) section.
Does Medicare cover K0005?
The CMS HCPCS file marks K0005 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.