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Action Needed – We Need Your Voice to Help Secure Medicare Coverage for Critical Wheelchair Technology

Sep 8, 2022 |

Do you identify as a caregiver? We are calling on you for help!

We are seeking feedback from all caregivers who support people with disabilities – including family, friends, personal care attendants, other in-home assistants, and anyone else who offers care to wheelchair users. These individuals know firsthand how important seat elevation and standing systems are for allowing users to perform activities of daily living more independently, and what can happen without these systems when caregivers are not able to assist with these common and critical functions.

As you may know, the Medicare program currently prohibits coverage for seat elevation and standing systems in power wheelchairs and views these systems as “not primarily medical in nature.” Contrary to their argument, we know it can be difficult to navigate daily activities for those who use a wheelchair. It is vital to be able to: 

  • Safely transfer from a wheelchair to another surface, particularly if it is not level with their chair;
  • Function independently at home as much as possible;
  • Improve circulation, bone strength, and skin health, along with other medical benefits when spending long periods of time in a wheelchair.

Medicare is currently accepting public comments about whether to cover power seat elevation systems for Medicare beneficiaries and will be considering additional comments about power standing systems at a later date. The Amputee Coalition is part of the steering committee advocating for this legislation. We greatly appreciate all the work you do to help your care partner achieve their medical and functional goals.

If coverage of these systems would help your care partners, friends, and/or family, please visit www.rise4access.org to share your story and let Medicare know how your patients and their caregivers can benefit from these technologies, particularly to be more independent at home with activities of daily living. More information is available on the website.