WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) have introduced legislation that would improve access to titanium and carbon fiber wheelchairs for Medicare beneficiaries. The new bill, S. 5154 creates two new HCPCS codes for Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) manual wheelchairs and allows for an upgrade within a code. See bill language here. S. 5154 provides a Senate complement to similar legislation in the House, H.R. 5371.

The Senate bill drops at an opportune time for mobility stakeholders and disability advocates to ask their legislators to co-sponsor and move the bill forward, coming on the heels of AAHomecare’s Sept. 10 CRT-focused Capitol Hill fly-in and the NCART and VGM’s fly-in that took place yesterday.

Ask Legislators to Support Senate and House Bills
Please reach out to your Senators to ask that they co-sponsor and support S. 5154 and urge your representative in the House to push H.R. 5371 forward before the end of the year.  You can find additional guidance on messaging and reaching out to Capitol Hill at aahomecare.org/CRT-Advocacy.

Your outreach this week will reinforce the face-to-face advocacy case that mobility leaders have made in these recent Capitol Hill meetings with members of Congress and staff.

While direct contact with Senators’ and Representative’s healthcare staff makes the strongest impression, you can also send a pre-drafted message supporting these bills using our Voter Voice advocacy tool. Please edit the letter there to include your perspectives on how increasing access to titanium and carbon fiber wheelchairs will improve the lives of the patients you serve.