Does VA Pay for Medical Alert Systems?

For many of the 18.8 million veterans living throughout the United States — nearly half of whom are aged 65 and older — access to a medical alert system that could quickly notify help in an emergency is beneficial and life saving. As any individual reaches their later years, he or she becomes increasingly susceptible to falls and illness. For veterans who may have experienced previous injuries or illnesses affecting mobility, falls in and outside the home become an even greater risk.

Many senior veterans wonder if the Department of Veterans Affairs pays for medical alert systems, especially considering these systems are typically much more affordable than the support of a full-time caregiver or an assisted living home. Fortunately, veterans do have access to a couple of free medical alert systems through the VA, and companies like Bay Alarm Medical offer discounts for veterans.

Below, we discuss two medical alert systems paid for by the VA and how veterans can go about obtaining these potentially life-saving devices. Additionally, we highlight a few ways veterans may be able to obtain other low-priced or discounted medical alert systems that may offer devices with more comprehensive features, such as fall detection.

By partnering with the VA, Latitude USA Personal Mobile Alarms provides eligible veterans with free mobile medical alert devices. This company’s lightweight and water-resistant device includes a wearable pendant help button that can be programmed to text and call up to six designated personal contacts when pushed or when its fall-detection feature is activated.

Veterans should note that this device doesn’t provide a connection to a certified, 24-hour emergency monitoring center, a valuable feature included with many other top-rated medical alert systems. However, seniors who use the device may opt to include 911 as one of their six designated contacts.

When a user presses the device’s help button, it automatically sends a text message to all six of their preferred contacts, showing their exact GPS location on Google Maps. Once the texts are sent, the device calls the senior’s six contacts in the order they’ve specified. Whoever first answers the call is then able to communicate directly with the wearer through the device’s built-in, two-way speaker.

Additionally, the Latitude USA Mobile Alarm device includes automatic fall detection. This feature can detect if a wearer suddenly falls down and immediately calls the user’s listed contacts. This way, if a senior veteran wearing the device experiences a fall and becomes unconscious, severely injured or too disoriented to manually press their help button, their contacts are notified and able to send help as quickly as possible.

To obtain the Latitude USA Mobile Alarm device for free, veterans must follow a designated procedure. First, they’ll visit their VA doctor, nurse or other VA medical provider to discuss their need for a mobile alert device and ask for approval. Veterans should communicate to their medical provider that they risk falling and would benefit specifically from a device with fall detection and GPS tracking.

The medical provider then needs to issue a written consult for a Latitude USA Mobile Alarm device with automatic fall detection and send it to the VA’s Prosthetics department. From there, the VA sends Latitude USA Mobile Alarms a purchase order, and the company contacts the veteran to arrange for device programming and delivery.

Similar to its partnership with Latitude USA Mobile Alarms, the VA also works with a company called MedEquip Alert. Unlike the Latitude USA Mobile Alert device, however, MedEquip Alert’s device does include a connection to a professional 24-hour monitoring center.

The device can be worn around the neck with a lanyard and includes a help button with a two-way speaker, so seniors can speak directly to a monitoring center operator at any time. These operators have the user’s personal information on file and are trained to assess the situation, provide verbal assistance through the device’s speakers and call the appropriate emergency personnel. Additionally, because this device is also equipped with GPS tracking technology, monitoring center operators can ensure emergency services find the senior quickly once dispatched.

Like the Latitude USA Mobile Alert device, veterans can request MedEquip Alert’s device by scheduling a visit to request it from their VA medical provider. They can also let their medical provider know that the order number for this specific device is GSA# GS-35F-202GA.

There are a variety of cost-saving options available for veterans who wish to get a medical alert device for themselves.

Bay Alarm Medical offers a discount for USAA members, although their website does not say how much veterans can save. MobileHelp has worked with the Wounded Warriors Project in the past, so they may also have veteran discounts in the future. Additionally, senior military retirees who enroll in Tricare For Life and opt for a Medicare Part C plan may be able to obtain coverage for a medical alert system through a private provider.

All of the medical alert companies we’ve reviewed offer some type of discount for new customers. Most of these discounts are based on the products being purchased and the billing frequency. Below is a chart that details the various discounts available to all new customers:

The best way to obtain a veteran discount for a medical alert device is to contact the company that offers the device you want. A sales representative can inform you of any upcoming deals relating to veteran discounts. You can see packages offered by all of these companies by visiting their websites from the table below: