Resources on Medicare
Coverage of Power Wheelchairs

A. The Statute

• 42 USC § 1395x(n) Durable medical equipment  (The relevant text is posted here.)

B. The Regulation

• 42 CFR § 410.36 "Medical Supplies, Appliances and Devices: Scope"
  
  
• 42 CFR § 410.38 "Durable Medical Equipment: Scope and Conditions"

C. Medicare Coverage Issues Manual

       60-5    POWER-OPERATED VEHICLES THAT MAY BE USED AS WHEELCHAIRS

       60-6    SPECIALLY SIZED WHEELCHAIRS

       60-9    DURABLE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT REFERENCE LIST  (The relevant text is posted here.)

D. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

1. Medicare Coverage of Durable Medical Equipment (Publication # 11405), February 2004
2. Power Wheelchair Coverage Overview, February 2004
3. Protecting Medicare's Power Wheelchair and Scooter Benefit (Publication # 11046), March 2004
4. Certificates of Medical Necessity
   
       Motorized Wheelchairs
   
       Power Operated Vehicle (POV)

E. Advocacy/Educational Organization Material

1. Center for Medicare Education
   
      "Medicare and Durable Medical Equipment", Issue Brief, Volume 2, Number 10, 2002
   
2. MedicareRightsCenter
   
      Asclepios: "ACT NOW: Urge Coverage of Wheelchairs for All Who Need Them", April 8, 2004
   
      "Forcing Isolation: Medicare's "In the Home" Coverage Standard for Wheelchairs," March 16, 2004
   
      "Medicare Faces and Facts: Getting Affordable Durable Medical Equipment," Summer 2001
   
3. Center for Medicare Advocacy
   
      FAQ on Durable Medical Equipment

F. General Information

Medical Necessity Determinations in the Medicare Program:  Are the Interests of Beneficiaries With Chronic Conditions Being Met? Partnership for Solutions: Better Lives for People with Chronic Conditions: A project of the Johns Hopkins University and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, January 2003. (back to top)