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OHA fields few repair complaints; council confronts sellers who won’t provide repairs
Summary
The Office handling complaints reported two cases this month, including one consumer who bought a chair locally and could not find a repair vendor; council members noted Massachusetts Medicaid requires sellers to service what they sell but Connecticut does not, creating gaps for consumers.
Becky from OHA told the council her office received two claims this month and described a case in which a Medicare beneficiary purchased a chair locally but could not find any vendor willing to repair it. “They didn't have anyone that could repair their chair,” Becky said, and OHA opened a case to identify whether the issue was insurance‑related or a repair complaint.
Members detailed how some retailers sell chairs but do not offer repair services. Diane and other providers said Massachusetts Medicaid includes a requirement to “service what you sell,” but that Connecticut statute or policy does not impose the same obligation, leaving consumers dependent on the original seller or large providers willing to accept out‑of‑network repairs.
Becky said OHA routes cases to her office when consumers cannot find a provider and that the agency is working to add HIPAA release forms (ROIs) and complaint filing capabilities to its website; those IT changes are in progress. Providers and advocates asked OHA to flag cases where a seller's refusal to service a sold item leaves the consumer without timely repair options.
The council discussed best practices for addressing such incidents, including trying to confirm warranty status, checking whether the device moved from rental to ownership under the initial DME order, and coordinating between OHA and larger providers to identify a local resource. No formal policy change was adopted at the meeting.
