SB 308 - Wheelchair Repair Requirements Summary

• Authorized wheelchair dealers must repair wheelchairs within ten business days of a repair request (excluding time waiting for insurance authorization or parts delivery).

• Dealers must maintain accessible email and phone lines to receive repair requests, respond within one business day, and order parts within three business days of assessment or insurance approval.

• The Office of the Healthcare Advocate and Department of Consumer Protection shall establish complaint channels and submit annual reports to relevant legislative committees on repair issues.

• A complex rehabilitation technology and wheelchair repair advisory council is established to monitor repairs and recommend improvements, with initial appointments by August 1, 2024, and first meeting by September 1, 2024.

• Medicaid and private health insurance (individual and group policies) cannot require new prescriptions or prior authorization for medically necessary wheelchair repairs unless the original prescription is more than five years old, effective January 1, 2025.