Mass. committee hears widespread testimony on wheelchair repair bills after months‑long delays reported

The Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure heard hours of testimony on S.210 and H.1278 at a legislative hearing focused on improving warranty and repair rules for complex wheelchairs, with users, clinicians, disability advocates and industry representatives describing delays that in some cases lasted months.

Advocates told the committee that recent repair delays have left some wheelchair users bedridden, hospitalized or without the independence needed to work and care for themselves. The bills offered different approaches: S.210 focuses on expanded warranty and consumer protections, while H.1278 would impose specific repair timelines for dealers and require loaner equipment in many cases.

Both measures were described by supporters as designed to reduce long repair waits and create enforceable remedies. Anne Lynch, assistant attorney general and disability rights coordinator, said the Attorney General’s Office “consistently receives complaints” and cited constituent reports of waits of “2, 4, 5, 6, and even 9 months” for repairs. Destiny Maxim, a community organizer and longtime power‑chair user with the Disability Policy Consortium, told the committee, “This happened because I couldn't get the equipment I rely on every day fixed in a timely…