New rules for replacement of prostheses: what has changed for veterans
Kyiv • UNN
Veterans have received a lifetime referral for the replacement of prostheses and components without additional certificates. Now it is enough to contact a prosthetic company if the cost of replacement does not exceed 15% of the maximum price.
Ukraine has simplified the procedure for replacing a part of the prosthesis - the receiving sleeve, which is used to attach the prosthesis to the body. Veterans can now receive a lifetime referral for all the necessary components by contacting a prosthetic company. This was reported by Olena Kulchytska, an adviser to the Minister of Social Policy, on one of the Ukrainian TV channels, UNN reports.
Details
According to her, the Cabinet of Ministers resolution regulating this issue came into force on October 30.
"It stipulates that the replacement of the receiving sleeve (socket), which is used to attach the prosthesis to the body, is done by the decision of the prosthetic company and is funded by the state," Kulchytska said.
She noted that previously, in order to finance the cost of replacing a stump receiver, it was necessary to obtain a conclusion on the need to replace such a component from a multidisciplinary rehabilitation team, medical and social expert commissions, or a military medical commission.
This was a difficult path, and, having heard the veterans' appeals, we adopted a change that simplifies this procedure and reduces it to cooperation only with a prosthetic company. To receive components for prostheses, you need to contact a prosthetic company. The amendments stipulate that veterans with amputations will receive a lifetime referral for all these components and all types of support they need
That is, according to her, the provision of prostheses and consumables for them is not limited to one time.
"Every prosthesis and every component of a prosthesis has its own service life, its own period of use, and after that it must be replaced at the expense of the state. Accordingly, these changes we are discussing now stipulate that such a referral is given to a person for life, and he or she can use it when the period for which the corresponding device was issued has expired. They can immediately apply for a new one," Kulchytska said.
Context
On October 31, the Ministry of Social Policy reported that from now on, if the cost of replacement does not exceed 15 percent of the maximum price of the prosthesis (for military personnel, taking into account a threefold increase), the procedure does not require the conclusion of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation team, VLC, MCC or MSEC. The decision of the commission of the prosthetic and orthopedic enterprise is enough. This will significantly reduce the time for liner replacement.
In turn, the prosthetic and orthopedic company that has received an application for the repair of rehabilitation equipment will be obliged to draw up a calculation and upload it to the electronic personal file before forming a preliminary order. This will contribute to the transparency of the calculation of the cost of rehabilitation equipment repair.
Prior to this decision, veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war Oleksandr "Teren" Budko appealed to the Ministry of Social Policy because of the complicated procedure for issuing components for prostheses. He stated that in order to receive new components (knee pads), he needed to confirm his need for knee pads with the MSEC and his family doctor, and then bring the papers to the ASC.
Teren emphasized that the knee pads are actually a consumable material, they last for a month or two and then tear, making it impossible to use the prostheses any longer.
Therefore, in a post on Instagram, he called on the Ministry to help veterans to make the procedure for replacing components simple, rather than creating a situation where amputee veterans are forced to "sit quietly and keep their heads down because they have nothing to walk on.
