MONTGOMERY, Ala.-- In January, Alabama Medicaid officials ruled that providers must hold an ATS (assistive technology supplier) certification from the Rehabilitation Engineering Society of North America (RESNA) to supply adult power chairs. That rule, which allowed little time for providers to get certified, was rescinded after lobbying efforts from the Alabama Durable Medical Equipment Association (ADMEA).

But, according to local providers, it could be only a matter of time before the state government brings the requirement back. State officials said they would rescind the rule "until further notice," said Lee Conn, president of MediRest in Birmingham, Ala. "They're going to make the ATS a requirement eventually.

"The only thing [Alabama] Medicaid pays for is the basic power chair," Conn continued, explaining that requiring ATS certification "would just be overkill."

Since July 2004, Alabama Medicaid has covered adult power chairs, as long as rehab providers supplying the equipment are registered with NRRTS, the National Registry of Rehab Technology Suppliers. But before July of last year, the state's Medicaid only covered power chairs for children--not adults. Problems arose when a child turned 18 and needed a new wheelchair. Consumers protested, and several disability groups filed suit and won, with the court ruling that state policy violated anti-discrimination laws.

So last summer, the Medicaid program finally started covering the equipment--but at rates 30 to 40 percent below Medicare allowables. For this reason, most Alabama rehab providers still don't deal with Medicaid, Conn explained. "[Alabama Medicaid] has come up with a ridiculously prohibitive program" for power chairs, he said.

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