Assistive Technology and Advancing Therapies for Traumatic Brain Injury
TBI can cause a lifetime of disability — but real advances in assistive technology and new therapies are improving quality of life. Learn what’s available and how to get it covered.
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A TBI can cause a lifetime of disabilities, including cognitive, emotional, sensory, and motor impairments. However, in the last several decades, significant advances have been made in treatment techniques and adaptive technology solutions for cognitive disabilities. Some examples of assistive technology include electric wheelchairs, durable medical equipment (DME), augmentative and alternative communication devices, medical equipment, respirators, ventilators, personal emergency response systems, accessible computers, equipment for the visually impaired, and software for individuals with learning difficulties and hearing impairments.
Key Takeaways
- A TBI can cause a lifetime of disabilities, including cognitive, emotional, sensory, and motor impairments.
- The Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988 defines assistive technology as equipment of any sort that people with disabilities use to increase, maintain, or improve functional ability.
- Insurance companies often deny any requests for new therapies and technology in an automatic fashion — people with TBI and their advocates must aggressively pursue treatment to obtain it.
- Medical necessity is established by a report and prescription by a licensed medical practitioner, and a letter of medical necessity must be supported with documentation such as peer reviewed medical articles.
- Recoveries from lawsuits are listed as one of the sources that can pay for assistive technology devices and services.
Neuropsychologists play a critical role in identifying which cognitive and functional deficits a TBI patient is experiencing — and in recommending the therapies and assistive technologies that can support recovery. In this clip, Dr. Thomas Swirsky-Sacchetti explains how neuropsychological evaluation guides the choice of specific assistive devices and therapies covered in this article, from communication aids to cognitive rehabilitation.
These new therapies and assistive technology devices can improve the quality of life for many individuals with TBI. Families, advocates, and health care providers need to advocate for people with TBI to receive these benefits. As the saying goes, “if you don’t ask, you don’t get.”
Many distinct types of available insurance, aside from private health insurance, can pay for or provide assisted technology devices and services, including self-insured health plans, Workers’ Compensation, government programs, nonprofit disability organizations, educational benefit programs, and recoveries from lawsuits. In addition, the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988 directed that the Department of Education provide state-level grants for technology-related assistance programs for individuals of all ages with disabilities. This law defines assistive technology as equipment of any sort that people with disabilities use to increase, maintain, or improve functional ability.
Insurance companies often deny any requests for new therapies and technology in an automatic fashion. People with TBI and their advocates must aggressively pursue treatment to obtain it. Denials may be issued for a variety of reasons, such the requested treatment is not medically necessary, experimental, not a covered service, or not effective treatment. That said, when there is private insurance, the insurance carrier may voluntarily pay for assistive technology if it deems the equipment is medically necessary, meets the definition of durable medical equipment (DME) under the policy, and is not subject to any exclusion under the insurance policy.
Medical necessity is established by a report and prescription by a licensed medical practitioner. A letter of medical necessity supporting the prescription for the device must be consistent with the policy provisions and needs to be supported with documentation, such as medical studies supporting the efficacy of the assistive technology, and peer reviewed medical articles.
FAQ — Common Questions About Assistive Technology and TBI
Some examples include electric wheelchairs, durable medical equipment (DME), augmentative and alternative communication devices, medical equipment, respirators, ventilators, personal emergency response systems, accessible computers, equipment for the visually impaired, and software for individuals with learning difficulties and hearing impairments.
Many distinct types of available insurance, aside from private health insurance, can pay for or provide assistive technology devices and services, including self-insured health plans, Workers’ Compensation, government programs, nonprofit disability organizations, educational benefit programs, and recoveries from lawsuits. When there is private insurance, the carrier may pay if the equipment is medically necessary and qualifies as durable medical equipment (DME) under the policy.
The Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988 directed the Department of Education to provide state-level grants for technology-related assistance programs for individuals of all ages with disabilities. This law defines assistive technology as equipment of any sort that people with disabilities use to increase, maintain, or improve functional ability.
Insurance companies often deny requests in an automatic fashion. Denials may be issued because the treatment is deemed not medically necessary, experimental, not a covered service, or not effective. A letter of medical necessity supporting the prescription for the device must be consistent with the policy provisions and needs to be supported with documentation, such as medical studies supporting the efficacy of the assistive technology, and peer reviewed medical articles.
Yes. Recoveries from lawsuits are listed as one of the sources that can pay for assistive technology devices and services.
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