A comparison of state Medicaid policies regarding the purchase process, rental and repair of wheelchairs

Issue title: Seating and Wheeled Mobility

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Eagles, Courtney P.

Affiliations: Office of Advocate for Persons with Disabilities (NYS Office), Empire State Plaza, Suite 101, Agency Building 1, Albany, NY 12237, USA

Abstract: Under the present grant in aid system for Medicaid, states are required by the federal government to provide a minimum level of services in order to receive federal matching funds. Although this system may be subject to change resulting from political shifts, prior grants have allowed states some flexibility in administering Medicaid programs. This flexibility has caused states to develop policies that are inherently different in the types of services covered and the means by which those services may be covered under Medicaid. One of the areas that highlights the discrepancies in state policies is the varying purchase processes, rental and repair of wheelchairs. States differ in the types of wheelchairs they will cover, how they make determinations for coverage and the process through which persons must be subject to in order to receive approval for funding of a wheelchair. The differences in these processes, procedures and decisions are discussed.

Keywords: Disability, Medicaid, Wheelchairs, Policy, Prior approval

DOI: 10.3233/TAD-1996-5105

Journal: Technology and Disability, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 35-40, 1996