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This page describes products and general use; it is not medical advice.
Short answer: there is no single HCPCS code for a wrist brace. Medicare DME contractors list a family of wrist-hand orthosis codes (L3905 to L3916) and wrist-hand-finger orthosis codes (L3806 to L3809, plus L3931). Which one applies depends on what the device covers, whether it has joints, and how it was made: off-the-shelf, prefabricated and customized, or custom fabricated. Who uses this: billing staff, clinic and supply staff, and students learning orthosis coding.
What a wrist brace is, and why it has no single code
A wrist brace is an orthosis (a brace or splint) worn on the wrist, sometimes extending over the hand or fingers, to support or immobilize the joint. In coding language it is a wrist-hand orthosis or a wrist-hand-finger orthosis, and each is identified by a Level II code from a family of descriptors rather than by one code.
“Wrist brace”, “wrist splint” and “volar wrist splint” are everyday names, not code descriptors. The joint DME MAC and Pricing, Data Analysis and Coding (PDAC) article on correct coding of finger, hand, hand-finger and wrist-hand-finger orthoses uses terms such as “wrist extension control cock-up”, “wrist-hand orthosis” and “wrist-hand-finger orthosis” instead. The article states that an item is correctly coded when it meets all the coding guidelines in the CMS HCPCS guidelines, the local coverage determinations, policy articles and DME MAC articles. For the general structure of Level II codes, see HCPCS Level II codes and DME HCPCS codes.
How wrist orthoses are built and described in the codes
The contractor article distinguishes devices by three features that appear in the descriptors: whether the device stops at the hand (wrist-hand) or extends over the fingers (wrist-hand-finger), whether it has joints (nontorsion joint) or none, and whether it is rigid, off-the-shelf, customized from a prefabricated item, or custom fabricated. L3906 adds that its soft interface and straps may be included.
Types and variants: wrist-hand and wrist-hand-finger codes compared
| Code | What the descriptor covers | How the device is described |
|---|---|---|
| L3905 | Wrist-hand orthosis, nontorsion joints | Custom fabricated |
| L3906 | Wrist-hand orthosis, without joints (may include soft interface, straps) | Custom fabricated; a static rigid or semi-rigid orthosis supporting or immobilizing the wrist and hand |
| L3908 | Wrist extension control cock-up, nonmolded | Prefabricated, off-the-shelf; the cock-up feature is adjustable to varying degrees |
| L3915 | Wrist-hand orthosis, nontorsion joint(s) | Prefabricated item that has been trimmed, bent, molded, assembled or otherwise customized |
| L3916 | Wrist-hand orthosis, nontorsion joint(s) | Prefabricated, off-the-shelf |
| L3806 | Wrist-hand-finger orthosis, nontorsion joint(s) | Custom fabricated, includes fitting and adjustment (dynamic) |
| L3807 | Wrist-hand-finger orthosis, without joint(s) | Prefabricated item trimmed, bent, molded, assembled or otherwise customized to fit a specific patient by an individual with expertise |
| L3808 | Wrist-hand-finger orthosis, rigid, without joints | Custom fabricated |
| L3809 | Wrist-hand-finger orthosis, without joint(s), any type | Prefabricated, off-the-shelf |
| L3931 | Wrist-hand-finger orthosis, nontorsion joint(s) | Prefabricated, includes fitting and adjustment |
Source: the joint DME MAC and PDAC article on correct coding of finger, hand, hand-finger and wrist-hand-finger orthoses (originally October 28, 2021, revised November 18, 2021), as published by Noridian JD DME and CGS Administrators; checked November 1, 2026. Read the table with three questions: does the device stop at the hand or extend over the fingers, does it have joints, and is it off-the-shelf, customized, or custom fabricated.
How to choose the right code
The criteria come from the descriptors in the contractor article: match the device against the coverage (hand only or fingers too), the joints (none or nontorsion joint) and the fabrication (off-the-shelf, customized, or custom fabricated), then use the code whose descriptor fits all three.
How the codes treat off-the-shelf, customized and custom fabricated items
The descriptors use the terms prefabricated, off-the-shelf, custom fitted and custom fabricated as follows: L3908, L3809 and L3916 say off-the-shelf; L3807 and L3915 describe a prefabricated item that has been trimmed, bent, molded, assembled or otherwise customized; L3806, L3808, L3905 and L3906 say custom fabricated.
What is procedure code L3807?
L3807 is a HCPCS Level II code for a wrist-hand-finger orthosis without joints, prefabricated and trimmed, bent, molded, assembled or otherwise customized to fit a specific patient by an individual with expertise. CGS describes it as a static prefabricated custom-fitted orthosis supporting or immobilizing the wrist, hand and fingers. Its off-the-shelf counterpart is L3809 and its custom-fabricated rigid counterpart is L3808.
What is the HCPCS code for a short arm splint for an adult?
The contractor article on wrist-hand and wrist-hand-finger orthoses does not list a code under the name “short arm splint”. If the device is a wrist-hand or wrist-hand-finger orthosis, compare it against the descriptors in the table above: the correct code is the one whose descriptor fits the device’s coverage, joints and fabrication. See what a splint is and the boxer fracture splint for how splint types are named.
What is HCPCS code L1902?
L1902 is not a wrist code. In CMS Medicare Coverage Database policy article A52457 its descriptor is “ankle orthosis, ankle gauntlet or similar, with or without joints, prefabricated, off-the-shelf”, described there as a prefabricated ankle orthosis designed to provide compression and resist motion of the ankle-foot complex. It belongs to the ankle-foot orthosis family.
Safe use and handling basics
This page covers coding, not clinical use. For fit and care, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use and the treating clinician’s direction. Codes whose descriptor includes fitting and adjustment (L3806, L3931) or customization by an individual with expertise (L3807, L3915) are for devices fitted to the specific patient.
The complete-device rule
For each code in the contractor article, the entry is a complete device and no add-on codes may be billed for the orthosis.
Common mistakes
- Looking for one “wrist brace” code instead of matching the device to a descriptor.
- Mixing wrist-hand codes (L39xx) with wrist-hand-finger codes (L38xx and L3931) when the device covers the fingers.
- Billing add-on codes for an orthosis whose code is a complete device.
- Treating L3917 and L3918 as wrist codes; they describe hand orthoses for metacarpal fracture.
- Reading L1902 as a wrist code when it is an ankle orthosis code.
Frequently asked questions
What is the HCPCS code for a wrist splint or volar wrist splint?
No single code exists. The prefabricated off-the-shelf wrist extension “cock-up” orthosis is L3908; custom-fabricated wrist-hand orthoses without joints are L3906. “Volar” is a descriptive term and does not appear in the descriptors of the contractor article.
What is the difference between L3807 and L3809?
L3809 is prefabricated, off-the-shelf, any type; L3807 is a prefabricated item customized to fit a specific patient by an individual with expertise.
Sources
- Noridian JD DME, “Correct Coding of Finger, Hand, Hand-Finger and Wrist-Hand-Finger Braces (Orthoses) – Revised” (joint DME MAC and PDAC article, revised November 18, 2021): https://med.noridianmedicare.com/web/jddme/policies/dmd-articles/2021/correct-coding-of-finger-hand-hand-finger-and-wrist-hand-finger-braces-orthoses-revised. Date checked: November 1, 2026.
- CGS Administrators, DME MAC and PDAC joint publication: https://cgsmedicare.com/jb/pubs/news/2021/10/cope23779b.html. Date checked: November 1, 2026.
- CMS Medicare Coverage Database, Policy Article A52457: https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/article.aspx?articleid=52457. Date checked: November 1, 2026.
