Groundbreaking Law Will Speed Up Wheelchair Repairs

June 26, 2024


We are celebrating the governor's signing of a groundbreaking law that will give folks in wheelchairs more freedom by dramatically speeding up the time it takes to repair wheelchairs in our state. These regulations are the first of their kind in the United States and are long overdue.
Many disabled people have suffered through long wheelchair repair wait times and experienced a massive decrease in their quality of life due to the loss of mobility. I was a member of the Wheelchair Repair Task Force, a group of wheelchair users, advocates, legislators, and industry representatives who found that wheelchair users wait more than 49 days, on average, from the time they ask for a fix to the moment the repair is complete.

Starting July 1, 2024, Public Act 24-58, which I co-sponsored, addresses some of these concerns by requiring authorized wheelchair dealers to:

  • respond to a repair request within one business day
  • order parts no later than three business days after the request
  • complete repairs within 10 business days unless there are delays getting parts
The law also states that wheelchair companies, that sell or lease wheelchairs in the state, must perform a timely in-home repair upon request. These companies are also required to maintain an email address and phone number for repair requests. The Office of the Healthcare (OHA) Advocate must post the contact information on the OHA and Department of Consumer Protection websites.
As for insurance, Medicaid will no longer require pre-authorization as of July 1, 2024. The change extends to private insurance carriers at the beginning of 2025.

Those in wheelchairs deserve to have mobility, dignity, and independence. I'm proud of the work we accomplished on a bipartisan level to make that more of a reality.