How does someone with limited resources find an affordable adapted vehicle? Here’s one person’s story…
By Tiffiny Carlson
Note: Some of the terms used in the following article are specific to the state of Minnesota.
Four wheels. We can get them for free from the government if they’re on durable medical equipment, but when it comes to gas-powered four-wheeled vehicles that take us 65 mph on the Interstate (i.e., an adapted vehicle), the government isn’t as interested in giving those away for free.
Most states simply don’t like to fund adapted vehicles for citizens with disabilities. With new vans costing upwards of $40,000, who can blame them? But there are some states that go against the grain. Minnesota is one of them.
I live in Minnesota. Ten years ago when state surpluses were the norm, Minnesota’s Department of Rehab Services (DRS) was funding entirely adapted vehicles left and right. All you had to do was get on “the list.” I knew a gentleman with quadriplegia who got the state of Minnesota to purchase everything from his new minivan itself to the lowered- floor conversion. It was a pristine ride. Ironically, he moved to Arizona a few years back to escape Minnesota’s arctic winters. Smart guy! Grab the cash and leave. He was lucky. He got his van before the money dried up after the new millennium rolled in.
In the year 2007, we are finally seeing a swing back in our direction. But instead of state agency’s like DRS funding vehicles, Medicaid (known as Medical Assistance in Minnesota) is starting to pay for our vehicles. Now it isn’t as great as the heyday of the late ’90s, but it is something. And we all know too well that for people with disabilities, even a little something can go a long way in many of our lives.
Medicaid isn’t flat out funding vehicles. There’s a roundabout way to go about getting assistance now, and it’s not publicly advertised-well, at least not until now.
It’s All About Timing
When my ancient 1993 Plymouth Voyager minivan got hit by a crazed cabbie doing an illegal U-turn in early 2006, I knew I had to start looking into getting a new vehicle. I’m a C-6 quad and drive from my powerchair. Getting a new van is not cheap, and being that I’m a professional writer with a meager income, it wasn’t as if I could go to the local mobility mart and buy myself a brand new van. Fortunately, my ‘93 mini-van was still operable in the meantime. My family offered to buy the new vehicle, but even they couldn’t afford the conversion or the new hand controls. That is where we needed the state to kick in.
In late 2006, while visiting my home health care agency, I ran into the owner (who also happens to be a quad). He saw my sad van struggling to automatically open the side-door, and we got to talking about getting a new van. When he heard I was at a loss for funding, he recommended Axis Healthcare; a new agency created by Minnesota’s Medicaid Department.
“AXIS works for the consumer, fitting all the pieces together, so that people with disabilities can remain active, healthy members of our community,” says Axis’ Web site.
Axis is a segment of Medicaid that was created just for persons with severe and/or permanent disabilities. Each member of Axis is assigned a case manager who helps them find appropriate doctors and schedule appointments and rides to them (if there’s no vehicle to be had). They even have a special UTI program where they rush you antibiotics to take at the first signs of symptoms, so the infection can be nipped in the bud ASAP. And Axis even has an equipment specialist who lobbies for its clients to get everything from a new wheelchair to equipment for a new van.
I signed up for Axis early this year. I was very honest with my new case manager, telling her the main reason I signed up was to get funding for a vehicle. She referred me to their equipment coordinator. We met and discussed my needs. She had me visit two different mobility centers in the area (which businesses I went to were my choice) to get two separate quotes. This was what was required to get the ball rolling.
Bumps in the Road
At this point, Axis’s youth and inexperience began to show. After going to the mobility centers and telling them I would be bringing in either a 2005 (or newer) Dodge Grand Caravan or a Chrysler Town & Country (these are the two main preferred mini-vans for lowered-floor conversions), the dealers prepared perspective quotes. I learned that the client has to be ready for at least a one-month wait, with a lot of phone calls in-between. It seemed that no matter how many times I went over with the staff what I needed, it just was never clear enough. Getting a new van with state funding is never an easy task. You have to be prepared for a lot of ground work.
Finally, we received the quotes, which were e-mailed both to me and Axis’ equipment coordinator, who then forwarded them to the state. After reviewing the quotes and realizing the full breadth of my injury and driving needs, the state answered back requesting that I visit the Courage Center (the local default rehab facility) to get re-evaluated by an adapted driving specialist to make sure that the equipment the mobility centers proposed for me were, in fact, the adaptations/equipment I need. Being re-evaluated after years of driving is kind of insulting, but I went anyway, knowing I had no other choice.
Success! The driving specialist was thrilled at my driving abilities. It was actually a good thing that the state had me go in. He recommended a couple of nifty adaptations that I should put in my new van, enabling me to use my blinkers with a wrist-activated system versus the elbow push-button system I had been using (and found dangerous, too). Sure, going through the state is never an easy process, but meeting with the driving specialist proved beneficial.
After all the wait, I’m pleased to report that the story has a very happy ending: the state of Minnesota finally agreed to pay $28,000 for the ramp, lowered floor, and hand controls. For this motorist, anyway, the system works!
Be an advocate for yourself and submit a request to your state’s Medicaid system. The worst thing they can do is say no.
Minnesota’s Axis Healthcare:www.axishealth.com
Tiffany Carlson is a frequent contributor to Action.
