Page 21 - Mobility Management, February 2017

done for Veterans Affairs, which is an ongoing challenge.
“Our [past] president Sam Cook testified in June 2015 before
the House Veterans Affairs Committee on how it negatively impacted mobility equipment dealers,” Schoppman says. “Many of our members are small businesses, and when they have half
a million dollars in invoices that are past due, they need to keep their lights on, they need to be able to pay their employees. It’s extremely important that VA pay on time, and when they don’t, folks inevitably begin to shy away from doing work for them. If it weren’t for the end user, the veteran, who really is benefiting, I think some of our members would have stopped doing work for VA altogether, based on their inability to pay. That is not the case, but it’s a chief frustration.”
Currently, NMEDA is working with VA prosthetics staff on behalf of dealer members who hold outstanding VA invoices.
“I have to say VA has been doing a great job,” Schoppman says. “We put together our spreadsheet, separate it by vehicle, we orga- nize it by VA, eliminate duplicates, submit only those 90 days past due, and that’s every three months. And once the next quarter rolls around, the ones that were submitted before have almost 100 percent been taken care of.”
On the state level, Schoppman expects to continue educating vocational rehab offices that don’t currently recommend or prefer NMEDA QAP dealers, because, she explains, vocational rehab offices that elect to work with less qualified adaptive auto- motive dealers can experience poorer outcomes that later need to be fixed.
“A lift is not something that you can just pick one out that you
like, spot weld it onto a car and you’re on your way,” Schoppman notes. “There is a somewhat complex calculation that goes into determining what is the appropriate equipment for the individ- ual’s needs and for the vehicle that they have and for what it will be carrying. Power chairs can be several hundred pounds, lifts themselves can be several hundred pounds, and to trust a safe, appropriate application of that to a vehicle that can handle it without negatively impacting the driveability, etc., is something that [unqualified individuals] should not be doing.”
Spreading the Word
Although H.R. 3471 is now law, the need to educate at both the federal and state levels continues. Fortunately, Schoppman says that after H.R. 3471, members of Congress and their staffs are much more aware of the automobile adaptive industry and the critical work it does on behalf of people with disabilities.
When she and her colleagues visited Capitol Hill, Schoppman says, “I can’t tell you how many times staff in Congressional offices were left almost speechless because they had no idea that this sort of work was taking place. And why would you, unless you have used it or a family member or close friend or loved one uses a modified vehicle? You almost wouldn’t think that it’s out there.
“What we wanted to do in educating was not say, ‘Help us pass this bill.’ It was ‘This is the industry, this is what we do, what are your questions?’ And they almost always had about a dozen.
“I think the profile and understanding of this sort of work has certainly increased on Capitol Hill as part of that.” l
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