HomeVA ProstheticsVA Handbook 1173.2 - Furnishing Prosthetic Appliances and ServicesLoan of Appliances

2.5. Loan of Appliances

a. Scope

(1) The procedures for furnishing appliances as outlined are generally applicable to major items of medical equipment which are loaned or furnished to eligible veterans.

(2) Necessary forms for managing the issuance of major items of medical equipment and the procedures, i.e., FL 10-219, Notice to Veteran of Loan of Medical Accessories and Receipt; FL 10-219a, Release from Responsibility for Government Property; and FL 10-426a, Information Letter- Major Medical Equipment, should be created in the local "correspondence menu" of the prosthetics VISTA software. This ensures that a copy is reserved in VA Form 10-2319 (ADP) when the original is sent to a beneficiary. It is not necessary that a separate letter be sent whenever multiple or subsequent issues of the major medical equipment are involved. One letter sent upon the issuance of the first item is sufficient to inform the veteran of the existing policy.

(a) Reusable medical equipment will be recovered, if offered, refurbished if necessary, and reissued whenever such actions are cost-effective. For the purposes of recovery, loan items will be depreciated at the rate of 20 percent per year from the date purchased. If it is not costeffective to recover a particular item, the offer will be politely declined and the veteran or family member will be advised to donate it to some nonprofit organization; e.g., a veterans service organization, the Red Cross, or the American Cancer Society.

(b) Appliances and/or items will be furnished on loan when the purchase cost of the item exceeds $6,000 or the Durable Medical Equipment (DME) item with a life-span of 1 to 5 years is only required for a short period of time, generally 1 to 3 months, or less.

(c) Appliances and/or items whose loan periods have expired will be deleted from the loan program and permanently issued to the veteran.

b. Responsibility

(1) The Prosthetic representative is responsible for the overall administration of the loan program. This includes identifying those items that are to be loaned, the duration of the loan period, establishing loan records, maintaining an inventory of returned loaned items, and documenting the records of veterans in receipt of loaned items.

(2) The Prosthetic representative with PSA responsibility will repair and/or replace any loaned equipment in the possession of a veteran residing within that PSA.

c. Procedure

(1) The VISTA "Loan Program" menu will be selected. The equipment may be placed on loan by responding to prompts for the usual information. No item may be placed on loan that is not entered on the veteran's VA Form 10-2319 (ADP) prior to initiating the loan process.

(2) VA Form 10-1439, Prosthetic Inventory Card Prosthetic - Loaner Item, an automated loan card, will be maintained to document actions during the serviceable life of an appliance, which will be 5 years from the initial purchase and/or delivery date. Particular care should be taken to ensure that the item's description, value, and purchase date is accurately recorded, as this information is critical in the follow-up activity.

(3) The VISTA software will establish the dates of follow-up. With the exception of 'short-term" loans (1 to 12 months), the first date will be 6 months from the date of loan. Routine follow-up dates are 6 months, 12 months, and annually thereafter. When electronically transferred and downloaded to another facility, these dates remain unchanged to accommodate subsequent follow-up including the loan expiration date originally established.

(4) Items over 5 years old will not normally be loaned, nor will items which have been recovered after being loaned two times.

(5) Loaned items that are returned to inventory that have a residual value greater than $6,000 will be loaned, if provided to another veteran within 5 years from the date of purchase.

(6) FL 10-219, incorporated in the local VISTA correspondence menu, will be printed in duplicate and the original and one copy will be forwarded to the patient at the time the loaned appliance is shipped or delivered. An entry will be made in the electronic loan correspondence suspense file pending return of the signed original from the patient. On receipt of the signed copy of the FL 10-219, it will be filed in the veteran's Consolidated Health Record. The electronic loan correspondence suspense file entry will be closed.

(7) When alerted by the prosthetic software that a loan follow-up is required, it will be accomplished by one of the following:

(a) Personal Contact. If the Prosthetic representative has personal knowledge that the veteran is using the device, the appropriate option of the loan program will be exercised, and "personal" will be selected as the type of contact.

(b) Record Review. If the Prosthetic representative does not have personal knowledge of the veteran's continued need for the item, a review of the veteran's VA Form 10-2319 (ADP) or Consolidated Health Record will be made to determine if the veteran has requested service to the item, was recently issued items of a similar nature, or if the veteran's medical condition is such that continued need for the item can be established. If it can be reasonably assumed that the veteran still requires the item, the appropriate option of the loan program will be exercised, and "Record Review" will be selected as the type of contact.

(c) Telephone or Letter. If continued need cannot be established by the preceding methods, contact will be made by telephone or FL 10-426, Temporary Loan Follow-up Letter. If a letter is the method of follow-up, an entry will be made in the electronic loan correspondence suspense file. This file may be dated for automatic 'alert' or 'print' by the imputing user. The incomplete follow-up will appear each time the "Follow-up Loan Report" is viewed and remains open, pending receipt of a response. If it can be reasonably assumed that the veteran still requires the item, the appropriate option of the loan program will be exercised, and "Telephone or Letter" will be selected as the type of contact.

(8) If any methods of follow-up indicate that a veteran no longer needs the item, appropriate arrangements for the return of the loaned property will be made, if economically feasible. The recovery of equipment for which recovery costs exceed the residual value of an item will not normally be authorized, unless it is known that the item is in very good condition and the item is suitable for reissue.

(9) If a follow-up letter is returned as undeliverable or no response is received, a second attempt will be made to contact the veteran during the next review period. If unsuccessful, the "Comments" section of the inventory card will be documented with the phrase "unable to contact," the card will be printed for filing in the veteran's Consolidated Health Record, and deleted from the loan program (in that order).

(10) When loaned items are recovered or permanently issued, a "loan release form" will be generated from the prosthetics software correspondence option, and forwarded to the veteran and automatically documented on the veteran's VA Form 10-2319 (ADP).

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