Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Advocates push stronger enforcement, emergency fixes as Connecticut weighs wheelchair-repair changes
Summary
After last year's law set a 10-business-day repair standard, wheelchair users, advocates and industry representatives pressed the Human Services Committee to add emergency-service requirements, clearer enforcement, and monthly data reporting to HB 7106.
Connecticut public-commenters and disability advocates urged the Human Services Committee on March 6 to strengthen a bill (HB 7106) aimed at improving repairs for custom wheelchairs and mobility scooters.
Supporters said the 2024 law setting a 10-business-day repair standard reduced some waits but left large gaps — especially for customers of one national firm — and asked lawmakers to add stronger enforcement, clearer exceptions, and guaranteed emergency service for nights and weekends.
The new measure would require monthly, payer-agnostic reporting of compliance metrics and staffing levels from suppliers, a definition of emergency repair that obliges on‑site work when needed, and a clearer complaint process for consumers. Advocates testified that NewMotion’s reported in‑home compliance rates remain low — repeatedly cited figures ranged from roughly 37% to about 60% depending on how the vendor calculates its data — while National Seating & Mobility (NSM) was reported to be performing at…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
