4/18/2024 0 Comments Mass bill of particularsIn November, he visited the Taunton repair shop for Numotion, one of two national companies that dominate the wheelchair industry, but the company had ordered the wrong strap and didn’t have the wire needed to fix the light. Delayed repairs can be devastating, leaving people who rely on wheelchairs marooned in their homes.Ī quadriplegic, Hoeh needed fixes to his wheelchair in September, including a strap that secures him when he shifts his chair to a standing position and a front light. Last year, The Boston Globe highlighted the plight of wheelchair users who are at the mercy of an industry dominated by large, private equity-owned national companies that prioritize profits, experts say, and invest less in repairs. O’Day would not support what he described as a bill with less scope, he said Thursday. That bill would eliminate prior insurance authorization for wheelchair repairs but doesn’t include longer warranties. The National Coalition of Assistive and Rehab Technology, an industry trade group, would prefer to see a different bill pass the House, according to a statement Thursday from executive director Wayne Grau. James O’Day, a Worcester Democrat sponsoring the House bill, said wheelchair users’ stories of long waits for fixes are outrageous and “will hopefully help my colleagues recognize this is a critical issue that really needs to be addressed.” Advocates are hopeful that the Senate vote Thursday gives the House ample time to act. “For those who rely on their wheelchair to provide for their family and themselves, who are too often forced to forego medical treatment, who lose out on wages, and lose time with their loved ones in the event of a broken chair - this bill isn’t just for you, it is because of you,” the bill’s sponsor, Senator John Cronin, a Democrat from Worcester, said in remarks to the Senate before the vote.Ī similar bill passed the Senate in 2022 but never reached a House vote. If the warranty isn’t honored, the attorney general could sue for damages on behalf of a chair owner. Providers would have to offer a loaner chair or a refund if repeated attempts at repairs don’t work and would be required to maintain a stock of chairs and parts. Providers would also have to make available a temporary replacement chair, if needed, within four days, or within eight days for people who use customized wheelchairs. Providers would have three days to conduct a virtual assessment of a broken and unusable chair, and four days to conduct an in-person assessment, if necessary. The bill, if it became law, would create deadlines for wheelchair repair companies when they receive a report of a broken chair. Though uninjured, she had to call paramedics to help her get into her chair. Daly noted she was late for Thursday’s vote because her wheelchair’s brakes, installed about a month ago, failed earlier that morning, and she fell while trying to get into her chair.
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