E0988 — Manual wheelchair accessory, lever-activated, wheel drive, pair
E0988 is a HCPCS Level II code for manual wheelchair accessory, lever-activated, wheel drive, pair. It belongs to the Durable Medical Equipment 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 E0988 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 E0988
- Long descriptor
- Manual wheelchair accessory, lever-activated, wheel drive, pair
- Short descriptor
- Lever-activated wheel drive
- Added
- January 1, 2012
- BETOS
- D1D
- Pricing indicator
- 36 — 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.
Capped rental DME. Price subject to floors and ceilings.
Codes adjacent to E0988
HCPCS has no hierarchy — related items simply sit next to each other in the numbering. If E0988 is not quite right, the correct code is very often within a few positions of it.
- E0978Wheelchair accessory, positioning belt/safety belt/pelvic strap, each
- E0980Safety vest, wheelchair
- E0981Wheelchair accessory, seat upholstery, replacement only, each
- E0982Wheelchair accessory, back upholstery, replacement only, each
- E0983Manual wheelchair accessory, power add-on to convert manual wheelchair to motorized wheelchair, joystick control
- E0984Manual wheelchair accessory, power add-on to convert manual wheelchair to motorized wheelchair, tiller control
- E0985Wheelchair accessory, seat lift mechanism
- E0986Manual wheelchair accessory, power assist system
- E0990Wheelchair accessory, elevating leg rest, complete assembly, each
- E0992Manual wheelchair accessory, solid seat insert
- E0994Arm rest, each
- E0995Wheelchair accessory, calf rest/pad, replacement only, each
- E1002Wheelchair accessory, power seating system, tilt only
- E1003Wheelchair accessory, power seating system, recline only, without shear reduction
- E1004Wheelchair accessory, power seating system, recline only, with mechanical shear reduction
- E1005Wheelchair accessory, power seating system, recline only, with power shear reduction
Questions about E0988
What is HCPCS code E0988?
E0988 is a HCPCS Level II code for manual wheelchair accessory, lever-activated, wheel drive, pair. It sits in the Durable Medical Equipment section.
Does Medicare cover E0988?
The CMS HCPCS file marks E0988 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.