Free equipment rental for the disabled has started. Applications can now be submitted

A central rental of assistive technologies for people with disabilities has been launched. It is intended to give people with disabilities the opportunity to use the devices they need free of charge. During the official opening, the president of the State Fund for the Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons (PFRON) announced that you can now apply for the equipment. Paweł Wdówik, Deputy Minister of Family and Social Policy, assured that the purchase of the equipment was preceded by expert consultations.

Free equipment rental for the disabled

For some time, the government has announced the launch of free equipment rental for people with disabilities. Such a solution already exists in the world, but in our country it is a novelty (on a nationwide scale). During a press conference (05/09/2023), Deputy Minister of Family and Government Plenipotentiary for Disabled People, Paweł Wdówik, together with the presidents of: PFRON and the Government Agency of Strategic Reserves, provided information that such a rental facility has just started operating. It is intended to enable free use of highly advanced technologies that compensate for disabilities for people with special needs. The rental is created by the State Fund for Rehabilitation of Disabled People.

What equipment can be rented?

The State Fund for Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons (PFRON) has published a list of equipment that can be rented as part of the central rental of assistive technologies for people with disabilities. In total, as many as 14,000 devices are available to people with disabilities. There are 123 items on the rental equipment list, including:

• braille devices,

• AAC communication tools,

• electric carts,

• oxygen concentrators,

• rehabilitation beds.

“This is not a rental of medical devices, but of highly advanced assistive technologies,” noted the deputy minister of family and government plenipotentiary for people with disabilities during Tuesday’s conference. Such equipment is to be sent to people with disabilities via courier.

Who can borrow equipment for free?

Equipment can be rented by anyone who:

• has a valid disability certificate (i.e. a certificate issued to children up to 16 years of age) or a certificate of a significant or moderate degree of disability or an equivalent certificate,

• within 12 months before the date of submitting the application for the rental of assistive technology, he did not receive funding from PFRON or NFZ for the purchase of the same assistive technology as the one he wants to rent.

The PFRON website also contains information that people who cannot use previously purchased equipment or devices or who lost it as a result of random events (e.g. theft, destruction) can also apply. Such people should contact the Information and Advisory Center for People with Disabilities (CIDON) operating at the provincial branch of the Fund. When it issues a positive opinion, it will be possible to submit an application for equipment rental.

If the application concerns the rental of a device listed in the annex to the regulation of the Minister of Health on the list of medical devices issued on request, it must be accompanied by an order for the supply of orthopedic items and auxiliary materials, issued by an authorized doctor.

How to apply for renting equipment for the disabled?

An application for the rental of such equipment should be submitted in electronic form in the Support Service System (SOW). You can check the status of your application by:

• hotline of the Government Strategic Reserves Agency (RARS), telephone number: 228998922,

• sending a message to the e-mail address: (email protected).

People who want to rent equipment will have to pay a deposit of 2 percent of the price of the device in advance.