Assistance to Veterans for Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles
At Total Mobility Services, we appreciate our Veterans, your service and your commitment to our country. Accordingly, we want to assist you in finding a mobility solution that best suits your needs. We also want to help you find financial aid that could alleviate the costs of your new accessible vehicle. While the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides funding for wheelchair accessible vans and adaptive equipment for vehicles to qualified veterans, we all know this can be a daunting task and lengthy process. The good news is that with the right help and a little understanding, it is highly attainable.
Benefits are awarded according to the nature of your disability or illness. Depending on your situation, you will likely fall under one of the following two categories:
1. Service-Connected Disability
-A disability that resulted from, or was aggravated by an injury or illness during your active duty.
For service-connected veterans, your first step is to apply for your Auto-Adaptive Grant by filling out the 21-4502 form. This form can also be acquired at your local prosthetics department or through a National Service Officer of a veteran’s organization, such as the PVA (Paralyzed Veterans of America).
2. Non-Service Connected Disability
- A disability that did not result from, nor was aggravated by an injury or illness during your active duty.
If you are a not service-connected, you can still be eligible for a wheelchair van for safe transportation. The Non-Service Connected Disability form is the 10-1394.
Your doctor will need to write prescriptions for your individual needs for both cases. Waiting for the grant to be approved is the most time consuming part of the process. That does not mean that you need to wait for approval before you can start actively working with your chosen mobility dealer to get you in the right wheelchair van for you.
Having an experienced mobility dealer can make all the difference in ensuring that things run smoothly throughout the process. At Total Mobility Services, we have an excellent working relationship with the VA, and we will be able to do the same for you - by skillfully exchanging the necessary paperwork that has to happen between the mobility dealer and the VA Prosthetics Department.
A little piece of advice when working with your Prosthetics Department – don’t be a stranger. It doesn’t hurt for them to have a face to go along with name on all the forms. A sporadic visit to say thank you for all they do is always appreciated, and (truthfully) well-deserved. Another very viable option for veterans that is often overlooked, is designating a Power of Attorney (POA). In contrast to where POA is often used as a legal tool in cases where a person needs the legal aid of a representative because they are incapacitated and can no longer make responsible decisions for themselves, Veterans opting for POA are confident in their decision to seek help filing a VA claim. By allowing a trusted consultant, attorney or representative to advocate on their behalf, veterans secure the opportunity to submit the best possible claim to the VA. This makes the entire claims process become easier and more comfortable for the veteran to oversee. VA Form 21-22 grants a person the power to act as a representative of a veteran when pursuing a claim.
Our friendly, knowledgeable mobility experts at Total Mobility Services will not only assist you in getting the specialized driving adaptations you need, but we will diligently work with all the necessary moving parts to make this process as fast and as seamless as possible. Your personal freedom is invaluable, and we would be proud to have the opportunity to serve you. Come see us at one of our Pennsylvania or Maryland locations today!
Please see below for additional resources of third parties that we readily work with in your area that can be of further help:
