Re: VA Power Wheel Chairs, Suicoaz

[Guest guest]

Jean,

Your info was interesting to me. My husband was also denied a power wheel

chair through the VA. Our neurologist had recommended that he have one. We

have since gotten one through Medicare and our supplemental policy.

I do not know about his classification with the VA. We do have a hospital

bed, potty chair, regular wheel chair, etc from the VA. He also receives

much of his medication through the VA.

He went before a committee of VA employees/doctors who said that we should

have our physcial therapists (medicare/supplemental insurance) teach him how

to use the regular chair. The members of the committee seem to believe that

if he was taught, there would be no problem in using the regular wheel

chair. On that day (September 11), he still could be on his feet for short

periods, but his balance was terrible. Of course, also during that

committee review, my husband still did not (does not want to today) to admit

that there were things that he could not do, so he kept insisting that he

could do more physically than he actually could. I have also realized since

then that there is a lot of difference in using a regular chair in a home

with carpeted floors than there is in using it at the VA with wide hallways

and vinyl floors. He is a heavy man. We have some trouble with the power

chair on the carpeted floors.

We have since purchased and had installed in the rafters of our house a

" Sure Hands " Lift that helps us to move him from some places to others.

Marilyn

> From: Suicoaz@...

> Reply-To: shydrager

> Date: Sat, 9 Mar 2002 21:04:15 EST

> To: shydrager

> Subject: Re: VA & Ray, Hay!

>

> Louise,

>

> My dad was told he could not have a power chair (of course then he didn't

> want it) from the VA . He is classified as " Priority 1 " vet. The requirement

> was that you do not have use of legs or arms. My dad can wheel his own chair

> for about 5 minutes. That was what his primary care doctor told us. Does that

> sound right to you? Jean (Phx)

>

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