Assistive Technology, Environmental Modifications, and Vehicle Modifications

Assistive Technology, Environmental Modifications, and Vehicle Modifications are all supports you can request through the OPWDD Comprehensive Waiver. These supports can assist you to live in your own place, or with your family, and be a part of your community. Your Care Manager can help decide if you need any of these supports and put this information in your Life Plan. There may be times when your Care Manager will help you get a special assessment to help decide what you need. Your Care Manager will also work with the OPWDD Office in your Region to submit a service request for you. If OPWDD approves your service request your Care Manager will work with the OPWDD Regional Office to assist with the rest of the process to get what you need.

Assistive Technology is an item to help you be as independent as possible. Assistive Technology can help you increase your daily living skills or keep the skills you have. You can also get help selecting the best device or equipment to meet your needs and get training on how to use it.

Examples: A program for a communications device, an app to help you get around your community.

Environmental Modifications are changes to your home to help you live as independently and safely as possible.

Examples include: A ramp to your front door, a roll-in shower in your bathroom. In addition to these physical modifications to the home, E-Mods can include modifications that address your sensory deficits, such as Braille identifications systems and strobe light smoke detectors and alarm devices and modifications that promote a safer environment for people with challenging behaviors, including window protection, reinforcement of walls, open-door signal devices and durable wall finishes.

Vehicle Modifications are changes to your vehicle, or to the vehicle your family uses to help you, so you can get out into your community safely.

Examples: A lift to assist you with getting into and out of a vehicle and the equipment to help your wheelchair stay in place while the vehicle is moving.

Other Sources: There are some supports that you can request using from the Medicaid Durable Medical Equipment (DME) service or from other sources that are not through the OPWDD Home and Community-Based Services Waiver. Your Care Manager will help you decide what you need and if what you need is available through Medicaid DME or another sources. Your Care Manager would then, on your behalf, follow the process to get you what you need.

For more information, you and your Care Manager can review information in the OPWDD Administrative Memorandum on Assistive Technology, Environmental Modifications and Vehicle Modifications, as well as the Guidance and Review Sheet: https://opwdd.ny.gov/guidance-and-review-sheet-e-mod-v-mod