BC Medical Equipment and Devices

This is not a universal BC equipment program. Eligibility is tied to BC income assistance and disability assistance (the Employment and Assistance Regulation and the Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Regulation). The ministry may provide the least expensive, appropriate medical equipment and devices to eligible recipients when there is a medically essential need and no other resources available to pay for the item. Covered items include canes, crutches, walkers, manual and power wheelchairs, wheelchair seating systems, scooters, toileting, transfer and positioning aids, hospital beds and related items, pressure-relief mattresses, and floor or ceiling lifts. Separate but related health-supplement policies also cover breathing devices (such as positive airway pressure devices and nebulizers), hearing instruments (hearing aids, repairs, and related items for eligible recipients, including children under 19 in families eligible for MSP supplementary benefits), and orthoses (custom foot orthotics, orthopaedic footwear, and ankle, knee, hip, upper-extremity, torso, and cranial braces). The ministry must approve requests before purchase, and a prescription or assessment from a qualified health professional is generally required. Items purchased without prior approval are not normally reimbursed, except in life-threatening emergencies.