Will VA or Medicare Pay for lift chair?

A doctor's order is required for VA durable equipment so her doctor (VA medical team) might be a good place to start although they don't actually arrange delivery themselves. They will either contact her caseworker or direct you to the right person who can answer your questions and fill her needs. I'm not sure a lift chair is considered medical equipment, but they will be able to answer your question and you will need to go through them anyway to get it, if available.

Often with a doctors order or prescription medicare will pay for things like durable medical equipment. The VA may be able to help or even give you one. I would sure check. They gave my Father a wheelchair.

No, the VA will not. The VA itself will pay for the MOTOR to one, but they will not pay for the CHAIR the motor goes with! Absolute ridiculousness, but this is what I was told by 3 different vendors, my dad's local VA clinic AND the social worker at the VA hospital in Augusta, GA. My father (Vietnam veteran, AO/serivce connected disabled) had his left leg amputated below the knee, and his right foot amputated mid-arch, and they were not willing to provide anything other than a manual wheelchair and a walker. We had to fight to get a motorized wheelchair for him.

Contact your local office, ask for the social worker. They may be willing to work something out, but it's pretty doubtful for that. Medicare is no better, they aren't willing to pay for any of it at all, according to a local vendor (as of June '13).

If she is receiving VA Aid and Attendance pension, part of those funds are for her DMEs (durable medical equipment). Have the doctor write a prescription for such a device, and check into Medicare also about covering such a device. If she is sitting longer than an hour, she should be getting up and stretches those muscles with aide help, and getting her circulation going. I realize in the later stages of dementia the muscles atrophy and soon she will be very stiff when systems start shutting down. Keep her as active as possible. Best wishes!

I used to work in a pharmacy that also handled some types of durable medical equipment. Your best bet is to contact a lift chair provider in your area as they are familiar with the regulations, but basically your mother needs a prescription from her physician indicating a specific medical condition such as a severe arthritis that prevents her from getting up from any chair in her home. In addition, she must be otherwise ambulatory. If she requires a wheelchair, for instance, she would not qualify for a lift chair. Do check out some of the big box stores like Sam's Club and compare prices with what the durable medical equipment stores charge---you may want to purchase a chair yourself.
BTW, there are some other products, depending on you mother's needs that might help her. dynamic-living/product/lifting-seat-cushions/#clear or dynamic-living/product/couchcane/#clear are less expensive alternatives that she might find useful.

our local rural king sells one for about 6 hundred bucks. strange place to get one but the price is good. 'spect RK online would hook you up if theyre not in your area.

DBell,

If you haven't done so, please make an appointment with a hospice agency for an evaluation for your Mom. Hospice is not just for end of life, and if your Mom has been diagnosed with dementia she most likely would be a candidate for care, especially if she needs caregiving around the clock. It wouldn't hurt to at least find out. And hospice, which is paid through Medicare, covers a whole variety of durable medical equipment.

VA handbook 1173.08 page 4 section I.......i. Seat Lift Mechanisms. Seat lift mechanisms need to be considered for patients who are
unable to achieve the standing position when seated in a conventional height seat, when the
patients have the ability to ambulate independently in a safe manner once in the standing
position (refer to PCM Clinical Practice Recommendations for Prescription of Seat Lift
Mechanisms found at: http://vaww1.va.gov/prosthetics/. NOTE: Lift chairs may not be
provided. May not does not mean WILL not

Who did you go through to get your VA Aid and Attendance?

I am pretty sure that using the VA Aid and Attendance $ for this would be an acceptable purchase. They just deposit the $ into the person's account to spend as needed. I believe they can audit at any time- so better be honest -but this purchase seems like it is something that makes sense.