What DME does Medi-Cal cover?

Common types of DME covered by Medi-Cal include:

• Mobility aids such as wheelchairs and scooters (manual and motorized)
• Ambulation devices such as canes, walkers, and gait trainers
• Hospital beds and accessories including bedside rails and mattresses
• Oxygen and respiratory equipment such as oxygen racks and tanks, ventilators, nebulizers, and CPAP machines
• Patient lifts and standing systems such as stairway chairlifts and standing frames
• Portable ramps
• Blood glucose monitors
• Infusion pumps
• Bathroom equipment such as seats, benches, stools, rails, and shower hoses
• Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) technologies such as speech-generating devices
• DME that helps caretakers with disabilities (including biological parents, stepparents, foster parents, and legal guardians) care for their child

If the specific DME your child needs isn’t included in Medi-Cal’s list of covered equipment, you do have options — it is possible to appeal and petition Medi-Cal to cover it if your child’s doctor proves it is medically necessary and provides a prescription.

Note that Medi-Cal explicitly excludes some types of DME from coverage. Those include:

• Air conditioners, air filters, and heaters
• Educational items such as books
• Household items such as food blenders (though companies such as VitaMix and BlendTec offer their products at discounted prices if they are considered medically necessary; consider reaching out to them via email about your child’s needs)
• Modification of cars or other highway motor vehicles
• Orthopedic mattresses and waterbeds, recliners, rockers, seat lift chairs, and other furniture items
• Reading lamps and other lighting devices
• TV sets
• Exercise equipment such as bikes or tricycles (in most cases)

For more information about DME, see our full article Durable Medical Equipment (DME) 101.