Pathways To Funding For Children
Section 4: How To Organize Your Funding Request




[Step 1. AT Evaluation]   [Step 2. Available Funding]
[Step 3. Funding Approval]   [Step 4. Funding Differences]
[Step 5. Appeals Process]  [Fundraising]

Step 1: Get an evaluation and choose the right AT


Get an evaluation by a person with professional experience.

Health insurance, government or private, has to have a doctor make the decision on whether a person needs assistive technology. Other professionals, including speech/language pathologists, and physical or occupational therapists (PTs or OTs) may evaluate the person, but you must still get an assistive technology prescription from a doctor.

The Evaluation/Diagnosis will drive the entire funding process. You must have a good evaluation that is clear about the person's assistive technology needs.

You can start by collecting the information below. You may need to get more specific information once you speak with the funding source. To get a good start, you should gather the following: Choosing the right assistive technology is hard. Many kinds of assistive technology are available at different prices. Here are a few questions that will help. What other services are needed to train you, the child and others in how to use the assistive technology, to follow-up to see if it works right, and to teach you and your child how to take care of the assistive technology? Once all the above information is collected, it's time to write a justification for funding. The justification should not be based on why the assistive technology is needed but on what the assistive technology does for the person.

A good funding justification should include the following:

Step 2: Find out what funding is available

Several funding sources are available, so finding the best one may take time. You can start by answering the questions below. You don't have to find the funding source on your own. This would be a perfect time to get professional advice from a case manager, an advocate, a health care professional or a social worker. They can help you tackle the following questions based on their experiences.

Step 3: Funding approval

What happens when your request is approved?

The amount of funding that was approved from your request will be stated in writing. Hopefully, your request was approved for the full amount that was needed. If this is the case, the vendor will order the assistive technology.

What do you do if the request was approved but for less money?

If the approval was for less than the amount you asked for, then you must think about some other things to do. Go to your records on all the possible funding sources that you have found and look over this information before moving on.

What do you do if the request was turned down?

If the funding source called to say the request was turned down, you have the right to ask for that information in writing. The funding source must also tell you in writing why the request was turned down. Go to step 5.

Step 4: Seek funds to make up the difference

If you are not happy with the amount of funding that was approved, there are other options that you can try before paying for the assistive technology on your own. You may choose either option or both. After you have looked into the two options above without success, it is possible that you may have to pay for the amount of the funding that was not approved.

Step 5: Attacking the appeals process

If your request for funding was turned down or not fully funded, it is time to ask for an appeal. Look over your funding request package and ask the following questions. If you answer no to either of the above questions you should take care of any problems and resubmit the funding request.

If you answer yes to either of the above questions you have the right to file an appeal.

This is your opportunity to ask for the decision to be reviewed. Many times, funding sources say no to funding for assistive technology due to lack of understanding by whomever is making the decision or lack of evidence that the assistive technology meets your child's needs.

All funding sources have an appeals process. You have the right to request an appeal to have your request looked at. This is why it is important to keep all your records on file. The appeal will be much easier if you have already collected evidence of how the AT will help your child.

Find out what is most important to the funding source. If possible, find out why the request was denied. Does the funding source need more information? Were they out of funds until a certain date in the future? It will be helpful if you have built a good relationship with the funding source staff people, since these same people can discuss why the request was denied and help you appeal the decision.

Try to find evidence of whether the funding source has funded this type of assistive technology request in the past. If so, it will be more difficult for the agency to turn your appeal down.

Key elements in successful funding are:

Remember that knowledge is power. By educating funding sources you are paving the way for other people in the future. Other individuals may benefit from your efforts.

Fundraising for Assistive Technology

On occasion it is necessary for an individual or family to consider fundraising as a means of purchasing needed technology.

How do you start a fundraising effort?

If you are an individual or family member needing assistive technology, it may be helpful to approach a church, fraternal or civic organization within your community to sponsor the fundraising effort. They may be willing to sponsor a bake sale, bazaar, pancake breakfast or similar activity that can help raise funds for your cause. Usually organizations are already familiar with this type of fundraising.

If you have a willing sponsor that has no experience in fundraising but is willing to assist, here are some general guidelines that can help take some of the mystery out of fundraising. If your sponsor wishes to create a donor letter campaign, these are a few things to keep in mind when creating the letter: It is often necessary to combine several types of resources. It can often be difficult to go to the community for assistance. But it is important to remember that asking for assistance is not admitting defeat, but realizing that there are people willing to help donate time and money to your cause.
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