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The rules say that plans must pay for a medical service or item if regular Medicare would pay for it in this case. 
You can find this rule at 42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 422.101. 
 
The rules say that Medicare will cover a Power Mobility Device (PMD) (i.e., power wheelchair or scooter) for 
a person who meets the following criteria:  
 
1. The person must have a personal mobility deficit;  
2. The deficit must impair their participation in mobility related activities of daily living (MRADLs) such as 
toileting, feeding, grooming and bathing in customary locations within the home;  
3. The person?s condition must not be able to be ameliorated by a walker, cane or manual wheelchair; and 
4. The person must be capable of safely operating the PMD.  
You can find this rule in the Medicare National Coverage Determinations Manual, Section 280.3(B). 
 
The rules say that a group 3 power wheelchair with a single power option are covered if: 
 
A. The criteria for a group 3 power wheelchair is met, and 
B. The group 2 single power option criteria are met. 
 
You can find this rule in Local Coverage Determination (LCD): Power Mobility Devices (L33789) - Effective 
January 1, 2020. 
 
The rules say that a group 2 single power option power wheelchair is covered if all the basic coverage criteria 
for a power wheelchair are met, and if: 
 
A. Criterion 1 or 2 is met; and 
B. Criterion 3 and 4 are met 
 
1. The beneficiary requires a drive control interface other than a hand or chin-operated standard proportional 
joystick (examples include but are not limited to head control, sip and puff, switch control). 
2. The beneficiary meets coverage criteria for a power tilt or a power recline seating system and the system is 
being used on the wheelchair. 
3. The beneficiary has had a specialty evaluation that was performed by a licensed/certified medical 
professional, such as a physical therapist (PT) or occupational therapist (OT), or practitioner who has specific 
training and experience in rehabilitation wheelchair evaluations and that documents the medical necessity for 
the wheelchair and its special features. The PT, OT, or practitioner may have no financial relationship with the 
supplier. 
4. The wheelchair is provided by a supplier that employs a RESNA-certified Assistive Technology Professional 
(ATP) who specializes in wheelchairs and who has direct, in-person involvement in the wheelchair selection 
for the beneficiary. 
 
You can find this rule in Local Coverage Determination (LCD): Power Mobility Devices (L33789) - Effective 
January 1, 2020. 
 
The rules say that a group 3 power wheelchair with no power options is covered if: 
 
A. All of the coverage criteria (a)-(e) for a basic power wheelchair are met; and 
B. The beneficiary's mobility limitation is due to a neurological condition, myopathy, or congenital skeletal 
deformity; and 
C. The beneficiary has had a specialty evaluation that was performed by a licensed/certified medical 
professional, such as a PT or OT, or practitioner who has specific training and experience in rehabilitation 
wheelchair evaluations and that documents the medical necessity for the wheelchair and its special features. 
The PT, OT, or practitioner may have no financial relationship with the supplier; and 
D. The wheelchair is provided by a supplier that employs a RESNA-certified Assistive Technology 
Professional (ATP) who specializes in wheelchairs and who has direct, in-person involvement in the 
wheelchair selection for the beneficiary. 
 
You can find this rule in Local Coverage Determination (LCD): Power Mobility Devices (L33789) - Effective 
January 1, 2020. 
 
If you want to read these Medicare rules, you can go to this website www.medicareappeal.com. 
 
The Plan contract says that the Plan covers items and services in accordance with Medicare rules.