Legal advice during the pandemic

Have you known anyone that has struggled because they could not: • Get their legs safely out of bed. • Get their wheelchair or walker through the doorway of their home. • Get up off their toilet, up from a chair, up off the ground, or up a step or two. • Get safely into or out of their bathtub or stand in their bathtub. • Scrub their back. • Walk because they had varicosities and swelling in their ankles. • Put on their stockings. • Pick-up their necessities from the floor. • Use their feet to push on the gas or brake pedal to drive or stop their vehicle. • Safely get out of or into their vehicle. • Go shopping because of an unmanageable portable oxygen system.

There are many safe solutions to solve the above problems and more. Durable medical equipment (DME) companies have experts in several categories to find solutions to improve the quality of life.

It’s not uncommon for the son, daughter, spouse, or a friend to have a tear in their eyes after their loved one receives the proper hospital bed, the right wheelchair, walkin tub, a safe toilet, compression stockings, stair-lift, wheelchair van, portable oxygen system, or who has the doorways in their home widened. The recipient now has more independence.

Sometimes there are things that need to be made safe at home before someone can leave a hospital or rehab facility.

Health insurance companies, Medicaid, and Medicare cover many types of medical equipment. If you have health insurance, it’s important to know what DME your policy covers. It’s also important the medical supply company you’re using is a participating provider.

Most insurance companies also require prior authorization from a healthcare provider for DME rentals or any piece of equipment purchased for $500 or more. Medical equipment suppliers have someone on staff who submits insurance company claims and who makes sure the appropriate authorizations are in place.

Medicaid or Medicare have their own guidelines for covering medical equipment. For example, they usually only cover a wheelchair every five years and might not --Please turn to page 10. Nebraskans who have questions or who are experiencing legal problems due to the coronavirus/COVID-19 public health emergency can get legal advice and help through the free COVID-19 Disaster Relief Hotline by calling 1-844-268-5627. Hosted by Legal Aid of Nebraska, working closely with the Nebraska State Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP), the hotline aims to make key legal assistance easy and accessible.

Callers should leave their name, telephone number, brief details of the problem and the assistance needed, and in what county they’re located.

Callers will receive a call back from an experienced Legal Aid staff member. Individuals and businesses that don’t qualify for Legal Aid’s free services will be directly referred to the VLP. The VLP will work to place cases with Nebraska volunteer lawyers who will provide free legal assistance.

The types of legal issues associated with COVID-19 and focused on by the hotline include: • Tenants with rent issues, including eviction. • Debt problems and mortgage foreclosures. • Unemployment insurance denials. • Employee rights. • Government benefits available to low-income persons such as ADC, SNAP, AABD, and SSI. • Medicaid and medical insurance claims. • Domestic abuse and safety issues. • Elder abuse and exploitation. • Access to education. • Helping small, locally-owned businesses with business and employment related matters, including human relations issues, unemployment benefits, and contracts.

More information on these legal issues, including ways you can directly help yourself are available at legalaidofnebraska.org.