State Assistive Technology Programs: Borrow, Try or Reuse Equipment

Every state has a federally funded assistive technology program that, depending on the state, may lend your parent a device to try, offer reused equipment or help finance a purchase.1 A state assistive technology program can't use its federal grant to buy a device outright for your parent, and it doesn't have to run every service, so the useful first step is a call to ask what yours offers.1 It's a route worth knowing when Medicare won't pay for an item, or when you'd rather try a device before spending money on it.

In This Guide

• What Is a State Assistive Technology Program?
• What Your State's Program May Offer
• What the Program Can't Do
• Check Medicare and Medicaid First
• How to Find Your State Assistive Technology Program
• If the Program Can't Help
• Frequently Asked Questions

What Is a State Assistive Technology Program?

Under the federal Assistive Technology Act, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) gives one formula grant to each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the outlying areas to run a statewide assistive technology program.1 States don't compete for it; there are no grant competitions.1

ACL describes assistive technology broadly: any item, device or piece of equipment used to maintain or improve the independence and function of people with disabilities and seniors, including in daily living activities.1 That's a description of the category, not a list of what any one program keeps on hand, so what your parent can borrow or buy secondhand comes down to the program in your parent's state.

What Your State's Program May Offer

The Assistive Technology Act lists four state-level activities.1 Here's what each one means for a family, and what to ask about it.

Borrowing a device to try

ACL says device loans let people borrow assistive technology for a limited time to try it out and decide whether it will meet their needs before a purchase is made.1

A loan is for deciding, not for keeping. If your parent's therapist has suggested a piece of equipment and you aren't sure your parent will use it at home, a short loan is a low-risk way to find out.

Getting reused equipment

Device reuse programs handle the exchange, repair, recycling or other reuse of assistive technology, and they may pass devices on through sales, loans, rentals or donations.1 ACL describes reuse as assistive technology that its original owner no longer needs, acquired by a new owner at substantial cost savings.1

Because a reuse program may sell, rent, lend or donate what it has, don't assume reused equipment is free. Ask what the specific item costs, whether it has been repaired or checked, and whether you can return it if it doesn't fit your parent.

Help financing a purchase

State financing activities are meant to increase access to, and funding for, assistive technology. A state assistive technology program's financing activities can include support for an alternative financing program such as a low-interest loan fund, an interest buy-down program, a revolving loan fund, or a loan guarantee or insurance program.1 Those are examples of what a state may support, not a promise that your state runs any of them, and the loan terms, if there's a loan at all, are set where you live.

Seeing devices demonstrated

The fourth activity is device demonstrations.1 If you know the problem (your parent can't get out of the tub safely, or struggles with a standard walker) but not the right device, ask whether the program can show you a few options before you borrow or buy.

What the Program Can't Do

Federal law sets two limits that shape every call you make.

First, the Assistive Technology Act grant can't pay for a device for one person. The statute says grant funds shall not be used for direct payment for an assistive technology device for an individual with a disability.1

Second, your state may not run all four services. A state may use its grant to carry out any 2 or more of the four activities, and it doesn't have to spend grant money on a category that state or other non-federal money already supports at a comparable or greater level.1 So the services on offer can differ from one state to the next.

Neither limit tells you whether a given item is available. Ask your parent's state program directly whether it can lend, reuse or help finance the specific item, whether that's a shower chair, a portable ramp or a stair lift, rather than assuming it can or can't.

Check Medicare and Medicaid First

If your parent has Medicare and the item is one Medicare covers, start there. Medicare Part B covers durable medical equipment that a doctor or other treating provider orders for use in the home, such as wheelchairs and scooters, walkers, canes, crutches, commode chairs and hospital beds.3 In 2026, after the $283 Part B deductible, your parent pays 20% of the Medicare-approved amount if the supplier accepts assignment.3

Many of the items families ask about for the bathroom and stairs are a different story. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) equipment list denies grab bars, stairway elevators, raised toilet seats, bathtub lifts and bathtub seats, and gives no condition under which Medicare covers them.2 Medicare's equipment list does cover commodes for someone confined to bed or room (which can include being confined to a floor with no bathroom), patient lifts when Medicare contractor medical staff find that periodic movement is needed, and seat lifts under the conditions in its manual.2 Our guide to how Medicare covers durable medical equipment explains the ordering and supplier rules.

If your parent also has Medicaid, a Medicare denial doesn't settle the question. State Medicaid coverage of equipment and appliances isn't restricted to the items Medicare covers, and a state must have a process for requesting items that aren't on its list and must tell your parent of the right to a fair hearing if it denies the request.4 We walk through that request in how to ask Medicaid for a bath seat after Medicare says no.

The assistive technology program fits around those payers. It's the place to try a device before anyone buys it, and a place to look for reused equipment or financing when no payer will cover the item.

How to Find Your State Assistive Technology Program

ACL says a directory of state assistive technology programs, with contact information, is on the AT3 Center website.1 Search for the AT3 Center's state program directory, pick the state where your parent lives, and note the program's phone number and email.

Before you call, have these ready:

1. The name or type of the device, and what it's for, in your parent's words or the therapist's.
2. Whether you want to try it, keep it, or buy it new with financing.
3. Any Medicare or Medicaid denial you already have, so you can explain why you're calling.

Then ask:

1. Which of the four services does your program run: device loans, reuse, financing help or demonstrations?
2. Do you have this item, or something like it, to lend? How long can we keep it, and can it be used at my parent's home?
3. Do you have this item as reused equipment, and what does it cost?
4. Do you run or partner with a financing program, and what are the terms?
5. Who can use the program, and is there a waitlist?

Write down who you spoke with and what they offered. If the program doesn't carry the item, ask whether it knows of another source in the state.

If the Program Can't Help

If your parent has a Medicare Advantage plan, it may offer bathroom safety devices as a supplemental benefit, sometimes with installation and an in-home bathroom safety inspection.5 No Medicare Advantage plan has to offer bathroom safety devices as a supplemental benefit, and which items it covers and at what cost depend on the plan, so ask the plan in writing.5

The Eldercare Locator, a free ACL service, connects older adults and families to local help, including the local Area Agency on Aging. You can call or text the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time, or search online.6

If what your parent needs is a change to the house itself, such as a ramp, widened doorways or a bathroom conversion, that's a home modification rather than a device. Our guide to how to pay for home modifications for an aging parent sets out every payer in the order families usually meet them, and our home safety and fall prevention guide covers what to change first.

Learn More

Find personalized help finding equipment your parent can borrow, reuse or afford at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.