by Shannon Coe, CFILC Program Coordinator My husband and I are expecting a baby soon, and we had planned to tour the UC Davis Hospital birthing suite where we will be having our baby. However, it wasn’t until I read “AT on Your Due Date.” that I realized that there were some important questions I…
By Allan M. Friedman, CFILC’s Technologies Manager A wheelchair wasn’t going to cut it. It just wasn’t going to work in our house. My wife sustained a severe injury to her right foot last summer. She recently had surgery to repair it. But the healing process takes a long time and she must be off…
by Christina Mills, CFILC’s Deputy DirectorI’ve been questioning whether it was premature of me to write my first AT Blog post about my daughter’s accessible crib. After I wrote that posting I sat back and developed a list of other AT baby-related topics that I wanted to cover, and when I did I realized that…
By Allan Friedman, CFILC’s Technologies Manager California made a BIG bet in March. We (the disability community, caregivers and the legislature) bet that AT devices for a few at-risk individuals will save the state $140 million dollars in prevented hospitalizations. And if we’re wrong? A cut to IHSS hours for all. When SB 72 was…
By Jorge Ruiz, Assistive Technology Coordinator at the Central Coast Center for Independent Living in Salinas As an assistive technology advocate, I often get requests from consumers on a variety of different pieces of equipment and services. Recently many of our consumers have inquired about funding assistance for basic eye glasses. Of course, before acquiring…
by Allan Friedman, CFILC’s Technologies ManagerCompetitive bidding sounds like a good idea, right? Get the lowest price and the best deal. Save money. What could go wrong?Plenty, especially when it’s Medicare running the process and durable medical equipment (DME) vendors doing the bidding. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Competitive Bidding Program for…
By Kim Cantrell, CFILC’s Director of Programs Over the past several years private health insurance companies have slowly and steadily reduced durable medical equipment (DME) coverage. If you belong to a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) or a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) and are not enrolled in Medi-Cal or Medicare, then your DME coverage limits may…
Many people with disabilities receive medical care, including durable medical equipment and medical supplies, through California’s Medi-Cal system. California is rolling out Mandatory Managed Care for people with disabilities and seniors. The questions and answers below outline who is affected and explain the basics regarding the transition. A big thank you to Disability Rights California for…
Written by Kim Cantrell, CFILC’s Director of Programs A treatment authorization request, otherwise known as a TAR, is a form needed to pre-approve funding for treatment, including Medi-Cal approved assistive technology (AT). The TAR is submitted for Medi-Cal approval before the order is placed and provides medical justification for the AT requested. In almost all…
Written by Kim Cantrell, CFILC’s Director of Programs With so many cuts to Medi-Cal and other social service programs, it makes sense that many of us are confused when it comes to Medi-Cal coverage. Lately the AT Network has received many questions from people throughout California who want to know if Medi-Cal still covers hearing…