Free Disability Equipment For Victorians

Do you need rails to hold onto in the the shower? Would a wheelchair or scooter make your life easier? Do you need anything like this such as a shower stool or chair, or a keypad to open your door because you live alone and can’t get to it yourself? Is there anything else in terms of disability aids or disability equipment that I haven’t thought of?

Have you ever heard of the Victorian Aids and Equipment Program (VA&EP)? If you need any of these things, or anything like it, this is probably the program you need. The VA&EP provides free equipment for people with disabilities, the only proviso is that you give the equipment back when you no longer need it. As I joyfully informed them – if I didn’t need my wheelchair any more, a party of great proportions would be had!

My powerchair was purchased by the VA&EP scheme for me.

At the moment my VA&EP offices (Caulfield) have a three month waiting list (different pieces of disability equipment have different waiting times), and some small pieces of equipment such as picking up sticks they don’t lend out due to the high likelihood of breakage. I don’t know about the waiting lists in other offices, you’d have to call them up and ask. If you need equipment that will take a while to acquire or put together, then add this time to your waiting list time. For example my wheelchair ended up taking 9 months to land on my doorstep! 3 months on the waiting list, 4 months for parts being imported to Australia and 2 months for everything being put together the right way … but the result – getting a $8,500 wheelchair arranged and put together for nothing – was worth it even though at times I thought I’d go insane waiting for it.

There are limits to the amount of money that VA&EP will pay out, with different limits according to the type of equipment. You won’t be able to get that ultra-light racing wheelchair you’ve been lusting after, but a basic wheelchair will be under their limits. And if what your occupational therapist recommends is more expensive than the limit, they will let you pay only the extra amount rather than buying cheaper equipment if that’s what you prefer.

To access the VA&EP, you’ll need an occupational therapist who, as well as knowing how to assess you, can write up requests for the equipment you need. Call a local occupational therapist (OT) (check the Yellow Pages or call up Occupational Therapy Australia (Victorian Division) on (03) 9481 6866 and ask for an OT in your area. That’s how I found mine, and she’s wonderful. You can also find more information online at the Victorian Aids and Equipment section of the DHS website.

Then, after the applications and assessments are done, all you have to do is wait for your disability equipment.

Good luck!