Access & Coverage Resources for Medical Equipment
Rehabilitation teams recognize that providing wheelchair seating systems to patients that include the necessary components is incredibly important. However, obtaining the equipment and devices necessary can often times be a frustrating process. As such, PPMD has worked with parents and providers in our community to develop sample templates for letters of appeal for parents, physical therapists and medical providers.
Download Sample Letters of Appeal
The templates below include space for professional review and recommendations, as well as space for personalization and individuation, allowing reviewers to “know” you/your child a little better and recognize the necessity of these important elements. While using these templates is not a guarantee that your requests will gain approval, we hope that they will help ease the burden of the tedious process of creating letters of appeal. If you use the templates and have suggestions about ways to make them better, please let us know.
Adjusting Suggested Language
In October 2018, a Pediatrics supplement funded by the CDC entitled “Rehabilitation Management of the Patient with Muscular Dystrophy,” was released. Included in Table 5 (page s24) of the rehabilitation article is a list of seating system components and the purpose and rationale for their use, as well as suggested language to included in a letter of request or appeal for wheelchair components.
For example, your rehabilitation team may recommend that your power chair include “power recline.” You are aware that changing positions during the day makes you more comfortable. Using the language included in the article, which says that the purpose and rational for power recline incline is “to provide weight shift for the redistribution of pressure for pressure relief to maintain skin integrity (especially important if unable to shift weight independently) and to allow resting intermittently to maximize functional endurance throughout the day,” may sound more appropriate to the reviewer and help power recline to be included in your equipment.
Additional Resources
PPMD has resources and connections to groups who may be able to help you draft your letter and submit the paper work. Please contact brian@parentprojectmd.org to find out more and to be connected to additional resources.
