# What Is a Broda Chair and Can NEMT Transport It?

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/glossary/broda-chair/ · Updated 2026-10-02

A Broda chair is a positioning wheelchair from Broda Seating that tilts in space and, on most models, reclines. A NEMT van can carry a rider seated in one when the chair is crash tested to WC19, such as one built with the maker's transport option. The maker's manual says a chair without it must not be occupied in a moving vehicle, so ask for the model at booking.

- Only Broda chairs the maker built and crash tested for vehicle use, such as models with its transport option, are made for a rider to sit in during the ride.
- The option is factory installed. The Synthesis manual says it cannot be added to an existing chair or serviced in the field.
- Ride the chair close to upright. The Synthesis was crash tested at 13 degrees of seat tilt, though it tilts to 40 and reclines to 90.
- Even with the option, the Synthesis manual recommends the rider move to a vehicle seat. Under 49 CFR 37.165 you may suggest that, but not require it.
- Settle the level of service with the facility and the broker at booking: a crash-tested chair rides as a wheelchair trip, a rider who must lie back may need a stretcher.

## What a Broda chair is

Broda Seating makes positioning wheelchairs, and its Synthesis manual calls the chair a Broda chair. The maker describes a positioning wheelchair as one with tilt-in-space and recline, so caregivers can change a person's position for posture, pressure relief, and comfort. Its Synthesis model tilts up to 40 degrees, reclines up to 90 degrees, and is rated for 350 pounds, per the maker's catalog as of October 2026. The Synthesis manual is addressed to caregivers in long-term care institutions, such as nursing homes. Not every model reclines: the catalog lists its Elite Tilt model with no recline.

A Broda chair fits the federal definition of a wheelchair. 49 CFR 37.3 defines a wheelchair as a mobility aid in any class of three- or more-wheeled devices, usable indoors, designed or modified for and used by people with mobility impairments. So the ADA rules on lift and securement use in 49 CFR 37.165 cover a rider who stays in one.

The chair and the ride are billed separately. In the October 2026 CMS HCPCS file, E1161 is a manual adult wheelchair with tilt in space, the equipment code the maker lists for its rehab models. Your ride bills under its own mode, such as [A0130](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/a0130/) for a wheelchair van or [T2005](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/t2005/) for a stretcher van.

## Which Broda chairs can carry a rider in a vehicle

Only chairs the maker built and crash tested for vehicle use, such as a model ordered with its vehicle transport option. Section 3.12 of the Synthesis manual (version dated October 17, 2018) sets out the rules for that model:

- **Without the option,** the chair does not meet the federal standard for motor vehicle seating, and the maker says not to let anyone sit in it in a moving vehicle.
- **With the option,** the chair was crash tested to RESNA WC19 at 30 mph and 20 g, with a crash dummy the size of a large adult man.
- **The tested setup** was a 24-inch seat width and 13 degrees of seat tilt. The maker does not recommend carrying a rider in any other position.
- **The parts** are front and rear securement brackets on each side, 5-inch aluminum front casters, a WC19 lap belt with its anchor, and a footrest tether.
- **The option is factory installed only.** It cannot be added to an existing chair or serviced in the field.
- **Tiedowns and crashes.** Use only tiedown and restraint systems that meet SAE J2249, and take any chair that has been in a vehicle crash out of use.

The maker's WC19 Transport Package page (October 2026) offers the package on select models, with front and rear tie-down brackets and a crash-tested lap belt anchored to the frame, and says to confirm with the maker or a dealer that a given chair can take it. Its FAQ says some of its wheelchairs are designed for transport and must be used with proper securement.

At the door, look for the signs the University of Michigan's Ride Safe guide (2018) gives for a WC19 chair: a WC19 label or circular logo, and four securement points marked with a hook symbol. The [WC19 wheelchair](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/wc19-wheelchair/) entry shows what they look like.

## How to secure a Broda chair in your van

Start with the full routine in the [wheelchair securement guide](https://nemtguide.com/guides/wheelchair-securement/): forward-facing, four tiedowns, and a lap and shoulder belt. Under 49 CFR 38.23, the rider's belts may never stand in for the device that holds the chair, and a [WTORS](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/wtors/) kit does both jobs. Then add the checks a positioning chair needs:

1. **Set the position before you tighten.** Put a crash-tested chair in the position its manual says it was tested in. Ride Safe says it is best to ride with the backrest 30 degrees or less from vertical, and to move the shoulder belt anchor back along the side wall when a rider needs more recline.
2. **Hook the right points.** On a crash-tested chair, use the marked brackets. On a tilt chair without WC19, Ride Safe says to attach all four tiedowns to the seat frame or all four to the base frame. A mix can let the straps go slack if the seat angle changes in a crash.
3. **Belt the rider with crash-tested belts.** Ride Safe says postural belts on a wheelchair are not strong enough for crash forces. If the chair has a WC19-labeled lap belt, attach the lower end of the van's shoulder belt to it near the hip.
4. **Clear the tray and loose gear.** Ride Safe advises taking off a hard tray and securing it in the van, or using a foam tray, and securing medical equipment so it cannot break loose.
5. **Check size and weight.** Each ADA securement location has 30 by 48 inches of clear floor, and lifts have a design load of at least 600 pounds (49 CFR 38.23). DOT guidance says a larger chair must be carried if it fits the lift and the securement area, unless it would block the aisle and interfere with a safe evacuation. As of October 2026, the same maker's transport chair for NEMT is 58 inches long even with its leg support down, so measure the chair in its riding position.

## When a stretcher is the safer level

A positioning chair can tilt and recline well past the position it was crash tested in: the Synthesis tilts to 40 degrees and reclines to 90, but was tested at 13 degrees of tilt. When a rider cannot ride near upright for the length of the trip, ask the broker to review the [level of service](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/level-of-service/) before the ride. Medi-Cal, for example, uses a litter van when a rider must travel prone or supine because they cannot sit for the time the trip takes (manual pages updated August 2020). Programs draw this line differently. Oregon pays a reclining wheelchair at the wheelchair rate (OAR 410-136-3220, effective January 1, 2024), and the [stretcher chair](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/stretcher-chair/) entry compares more programs.

Federal rules limit what you can decide alone. Under 49 CFR 37.165, you may not deny a ride because a chair cannot be secured to your satisfaction, and you may recommend but not require that a rider move to a vehicle seat. The Synthesis manual recommends that move even for a crash-tested chair. You may decline when the chair and rider weigh more than your lift is rated for, or when carrying the chair is shown to be inconsistent with legitimate safety requirements. MTM Health's Virginia handbook (approved August 10, 2026) adds that drivers must use only the mode and level the broker approved for each trip. Settle it at booking, with the facility and the broker, not at the curb.

## A dispatch example

A nursing home books a resident for dialysis three times a week and says she rides in a Broda chair. The dispatcher asks four questions:

1. Which model is it, and does it carry the WC19 label and the front and rear securement brackets?
2. How far back does she need to lie, and for how long?
3. What do she and the chair weigh together, and does the chair have a hard tray?
4. What level of service did the broker authorize?

The answers settle the trip. If the chair has the transport option and she can ride near upright, send a wheelchair van, set the chair to its tested position, hook the marked brackets, and bill the wheelchair rate. If the chair lacks the option, ask the facility whether she can ride in a crash-tested wheelchair instead. If she cannot, or she must lie back for the whole ride, ask the broker to change the trip to stretcher level and send a [stretcher van](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/stretcher-van/) with two crew. Her chair then stays at the facility. Note the model and whether it is crash tested on the standing order, so every driver knows before arrival.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can a NEMT company transport someone sitting in a Broda chair?

Yes, when the chair is built for it. The maker's FAQ (October 2026) says some of its wheelchairs are designed for transport, and that a WC19-certified chair meets crash safety standards for vehicle transport. Its Synthesis manual (version dated October 17, 2018) says a chair without the vehicle transport option must not be occupied in a moving vehicle. Ask for the model and look for the WC19 label before the trip.

### How can I tell if a Broda chair is crash tested?

Look for a WC19 label or circular logo and four securement points marked with a hook symbol, the signs the University of Michigan's Ride Safe guide (2018) describes for any crash-tested wheelchair. On the Synthesis, the transport option adds front and rear securement brackets on each side, 5-inch aluminum front casters, a WC19 lap belt and anchor, and a footrest tether.

### Can the transport option be added to a chair the facility already owns?

Not on the Synthesis. Its manual says the vehicle transport option is available factory installed only, and cannot be retrofit to existing models or serviced in the field. If the facility's chair lacks it, talk with the facility and the broker before the trip about another chair or a stretcher.

### Can I refuse a rider whose Broda chair is not crash tested?

Be careful. Under 49 CFR 37.165, you may not deny a ride because a chair cannot be secured to your satisfaction, and you may recommend but not require a move to a vehicle seat. You may decline when the chair and rider weigh more than your lift is rated for, or when carrying the chair is shown to be inconsistent with legitimate safety requirements. Raise it with the broker at booking.

### Is a rider in a reclined Broda chair a stretcher trip?

Not in Oregon. OAR 410-136-3220 (effective January 1, 2024) pays a reclining wheelchair at the wheelchair base rate, because wheelchairs do not qualify as stretchers or gurneys. Washington counts a ride where the client must travel prone or supine, by any appropriate device, as a stretcher trip (WAC 182-546-5100, effective April 11, 2026).

## Official resources

- [University of Michigan: Ride Safe guide for wheelchair riders](https://wc-transportation-safety.umtri.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/517/2021/11/RideSafeBrochure2018_English.pdf)
- [eCFR: 49 CFR 37.165, Lift and securement use](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-37.165)
- [Broda Seating: Synthesis operating manual, Motor Vehicle Use section](https://brodaseating.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/SynthesisPositioningWheelchair_OpManual-1-1.pdf)