HowcanIreportaproblemwithmy wheelchairrepairorreplacement?
Ifyouhaveprivateinsurance:
Youcanmakeaninternalcomplainttoyourinsurance company.
YoucanalsomakeacomplainttotheNYSDepartmentof FinancialServices.
Makeacomplaintonline,www.dfs.ny.gov/complaint orbyphone1-800-342-3736
IfyouhaveMedicaidcoverageoraredual-enrolled:
Youfirstneedtoexhaustanyinternalappealsifyouarecovered throughamanagedcareplan(suchasExcellusorFidelis).
YoucanrequestafairhearingwiththeNYSOfficeofTemporary andDisabilityAssistanceifyouweredeniedrepairsora replacement,orifyouhavebeenwaitingalongtimeforavendor tofixyourdevice.
Requestafairhearingonline,www.otda.ny.gov/hearings/request/ orbyphone:1-800-342-3334
IfyouhaveMedicarecoverage:
Youcanfileanappealiftheadministratordeniesyou coverageforarepairorreplacement.
Medicareappealsvarybasedonthetypeofcoverageyou have.
Thiswebsitehashelpfulinformation: www.medicare.gov/providers-services/claims-appealscomplaints/appeals 2 2 3 3
Whatifavendoristakingtoolongto fixmywheelchairordeliveranewone?
Youshouldcontactthevendorandyourinsuranceproviderto letthemknow.
Whenyoucontactthem,explainyourneedsandtellthemwhy youneedtherepairsexpedited.
Youcanalsoaskforareplacementwheelchairiftheycannot getyourwheelchairfixedquickly.
Ifpossible,youshouldcontactthevendorandinsurance companyinwritingaswellasbyphone.
Itisalsohelpfultokeepawrittenrecordofallyour communicationaboutyourwheelchairrepairrequest.
Itisimportanttostayinregularcontactwiththevendorandyour insuranceprovider,soyougettherepairsyouneedquickly.
Youmayalsocontactyourdoctortoreportdelaysoranyhealth issuesyoumightexperiencebecauseofthedelay.
Shareyourstoriesaboutwheelchair repairandreplacementdelays
Itisimportanttoshareyourstoriesabouttheproblemsyou experiencewithgettingwheelchairrepairsandreplacements.
Reachouttoyourdistrict’sNYSSenatorandAssemblyperson, andcontacttheNYSChiefDisabilityOfficerthroughemail accessibility@exec.ny.govorbyphone518-474-8390toexplain yourissueandseehowtheycanhelp.
PleasecompleteourWheelchairRepairDelaysSurvey,available here:https://forms.gle/7QXZC3GrjWagkcN17.
Wewillusetheinformationgatheredinthesurveytoreportany systemicproblemsandinformourfuturework.
