Wheelchair Repair bills have been under consideration for several years. DignityMA has supported it for several years.
Jim Lomastro of DignityMA wrote Private Equity and Wheelchair Services: A National Crisis which digs into the roots of the issue, and describes how it actually is a national crisis and not just a MA issue. For now, we are seeking a state-wide solution.
THE PROBLEM: Durable medical equipment devices are often prone to defects and sudden failure. It is commonplace for consumers to be left stranded or isolated in their homes for weeks, or even months, awaiting repairs, unable to get to work, school, medical appointments, the grocery store, and in some cases to move around their own home.
Our laws must be reformed to strengthen warranty protections for MA residents with disabilities. We need to: 1) level the playing field for consumers, 2) shorten repair wait times, 3) prevent harm to our economy, 4) save taxpayer money that MassHealth currently spends fixing these defective wheelchairs, and 5) ensure that we are all treated with dignity and respect.
THE SOLUTION:The Warranty Protections for Consumers with Disabilities Act. This act draws upon legislation already adopted in other states to ensure stronger warranty protections for consumers with disabilities here in MA. These reforms include:
- Expanding the warranty to cover all wheelchairs for two years;
- Protecting wheelchair users’ right to reasonable repair;
- Reimbursement of costs incurred by consumers as a result of their defective chair;
- Providing loaner chairs while a consumers’ chair is inoperable
Passing this bill would protect the health, autonomy, time, and money of consumers with disabilities who rely on wheelchairs every day.
2025
2025 Bills
- S210 – An Act expanding wheelchair warranty protections for consumers with disabilities. Sponsored by Sen. John Cronin. Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities.
- H1278 – An Act relative to wheelchair repair requirements and consumer protection. Rep; James O’Day. Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities.
Tuesday, April 29, 2025 – Hearing of the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure
Destiny Maxam, of Disability Policy Consortium, is a key organizer of support for these bills. You may email her at dmaxam@dpcma.org or call her at 617-804-5329 with any questions or ideas.
Wheelchair repair testimonies begin around the 9-minute mark with Assistant Attorney General Ann Lynch, followed by my testimony at 12 minutes and concludes around 2:00 PM — that’s over 2.5 hours of powerful, moving testimony from wheelchair users, allies, and advocates across the state.
The opposition, industry representatives, including the head of NCART and a representative from National Seating and Mobility (NSM), testified against these bills. Some opposition was carefully worded, while others raised concerns like loaner chairs not fitting properly — attempting to frame these bills as potentially harmful.
Let’s be clear: wheelchair users should be the ones deciding what’s helpful. These bills don’t force anyone to use a loaner — they give us the option. And that option can mean the difference between using the bathroom independently or being stuck in bed. We will not allow our lived experiences to be twisted or weaponized against us.
If you haven’t submitted written testimony yet, please do. We’ll continue collecting stories over the coming weeks to submit to the committee before they vote. Even if you already testified orally, your story deserves to live in writing — so it’s on the record and can be referred to.
Submit written testimony by emailing: JointCommittee.ConsumerProtection&ProfessionalLicensure@malegislature.gov or pavel.payano@masenate.gov.
Subject line: S210 & H 1278 TESTIMONY
The committee must take action by June 28th.
Congress Plus Action Link: Fill this out if you haven’t already! Requesting cosponsors for the wheelchair repair bills! Click Here to Ask Your Legislator To Co-Sponsor the Wheelchair Repair Bills
WGBH: Wheelchair users say repair bill is about ‘restoring dignity’
2022
Read our post from 2022. It includes several newspaper articles and compelling insights into the importance of the Wheelchair Repair bill. Spotlight Wheelchair Repair Post