V2781 — Progressive lens, per lens
V2781 is a HCPCS Level II code for progressive lens, per lens. It belongs to the Vision, Hearing and Speech-Language Pathology 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 V2781 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 2 — Date of Service Edit: Policy · CMS Policy
- outpatient
- 0 — never payable MAI 2 — Date of Service Edit: Policy · CMS Policy
- DME supplier
- 0 — never payable MAI 2 — Date of Service Edit: Policy · 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 V2781
- Long descriptor
- Progressive lens, per lens
- Short descriptor
- Progressive lens per lens
- Added
- January 1, 1996
- BETOS
- D1F
- Pricing indicator
- 00 — Not priced by Part B
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.
Service not separately priced by Part B — not covered, bundled into another service, or used by Part A only.
Codes adjacent to V2781
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If V2781 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- V2750Anti-reflective coating, per lens
- V2755U-v lens, per lens
- V2756Eye glass case
- V2760Scratch resistant coating, per lens
- V2761Mirror coating, any type, solid, gradient or equal, any lens material, per lens
- V2762Polarization, any lens material, per lens
- V2770Occluder lens, per lens
- V2780Oversize lens, per lens
- V2782Lens, index 1.54 to 1.65 plastic or 1.60 to 1.79 glass, excludes polycarbonate, per lens
- V2783Lens, index greater than or equal to 1.66 plastic or greater than or equal to 1.80 glass, excludes polycarbonate, per lens
- V2784Lens, polycarbonate or equal, any index, per lens
- V2785Processing, preserving and transporting corneal tissue
- V2786Specialty occupational multifocal lens, per lens
- V2787Astigmatism correcting function of intraocular lens
- V2788Presbyopia correcting function of intraocular lens
- V2790Amniotic membrane for surgical reconstruction, per procedure
Questions about V2781
What is HCPCS code V2781?
V2781 is a HCPCS Level II code for progressive lens, per lens. It sits in the Vision, Hearing and Speech-Language Pathology section.
Does Medicare cover V2781?
The CMS HCPCS file marks V2781 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 V2781 paid under the physician fee schedule?
V2781 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.