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LOAN PROGRAM Guidelines For Loaning Equipment As part of its mission to increase awareness of and to promote the use of appropriate assistive technology devices and equipment, Project START has in place a short-term loan program. Equipment or devices loaned to consumers or service providers are of a specialized nature and not commonly available in local markets. Because of financial and storage constraints, so called low-tech devices which are readily available from local sources such as drug stores and discount stores will not be included in the project's inventory of loan equipment. Equipment which may be assistive in nature, but falls into the broad category of durable medical devices will not be made available through the project's equipment loan program due to concerns arising from the liability that the loan of such equipment may imply. Project START's equipment loan program has been developed in response to the needs and demands of consumers and service providers for a variety of reasons. Typically, a request for the loan of an assistive device should meet one of the following criteria:
Equipment Loan Policies Before any assistive device or equipment may be loaned the following Equipment Loan Policies must be read and understood by any potential borrower of devices available for loan by Project START. Any violation of the project's Equipment Loan Policies will serve as grounds for the immediate termination of a loan agreement with Project Start for the use of assistive equipment or devices. Guidelines An equipment loan will be considered only if it's use falls within the parameters stated in the Project START - Guidelines For Equipment Loans. Requests made which are not consistent with the project's guidelines will not be considered. Equipment Loan Request Form A completed Equipment Loan Request Form will be required to be submitted to the project's Equipment Loan Specialist as a prerequisite for an equipment loan request to be considered by Project START. An Equipment Loan Request Form may be requested either in writing or by telephone by any person wishing to participate in Project Start's Equipment Loan Program. Requests for this form should be made directly to the project's Equipment Loan Specialist. Equipment Loan Request Form - Completion of, Procedures and necessary information for the completion of the Equipment Loan Request Form are largely self-evident. Particular attention must be given to obtaining a referral from a knowledgeable professional for recommending the use of assistive devices. In the past, Project START has recognized medical doctors, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech-language pathologist, and teachers certified in the instruction of special education as knowledgeable professionals. As a general rule, self-referral will not be considered unless the individual falls into the category of a knowledgeable professional, as described above. It will only be considered appropriate for an individual to commit an act of self-referral in order to obtain the use of a particular device while an identical or similar device owned by such an individual is unavailable because it is undergoing upgrade, repair, or modification. Equipment Loan Agreement An equipment loan agreement will be issued upon the determination that the loan of equipment specified in the Equipment Loan Request Form is in compliance with the project's guidelines and policies regarding the loan of assistive devices or equipment. The project's Equipment Loan Specialist shall determine the appropriateness of an equipment loan. The Equipment Loan Agreement must be completed prior to shipment of any device or equipment to the user or responsible party named in the Equipment Loan Agreement. The loan of any equipment or device will not be made to any otherwise qualified party without an agreement to comply with all guidelines, requirements, and policies of the project's loan program. Equipment Loan Waiting List Should the Equipment Loan Specialist deem an Equipment Loan Request appropriate and should the specific device or equipment not be available for immediate loan, the Equipment Loan Specialist may confer with the referral source to determine if an acceptable alternative device may be substituted. If an acceptable substitute device is not found or is not available, the consumer or responsible party will be placed on a waiting list for the device first requested and/or a suitable alternative. The project's Equipment Loan Specialist will notify the requesting party as soon as a device is available which will meet their needs. It is the responsibility of the requesting party to immediately inform the project's Equipment Loan Specialist if their need for the requested device has been satisfied by some other source or by some other means of acquisition. Persons who have been placed on a waiting list for a particular piece of equipment will be served on a first-come first-served basis. Requestors wishing to ascertain their position on the waiting list for a particular device shall make this request in writing to the project's Equipment Loan Specialist. Duration of Loan Agreement A standard loan agreement will be for a period of ninety (90) consecutive days. A loan period of less than ninety days will be considered when the loan of a device is for evaluation, training, demonstration, or other purposes covered in the guidelines that might be best served by a loan period of a shorter duration. Extensions of an Equipment Loan Agreement It may be necessary on some occasions for a consumer or service provider to request an extension of a loan agreement for a device on loan from Project START. It will be necessary for the party requesting such an extension to complete a Request To Extend A Loan Agreement form available from Project START's Equipment Loan Specialist. Requests for the extension of a loan agreement will not be considered without a properly completed request form. Requests to extend a loan agreement must be received by the project's Equipment Loan Specialist no later than fourteen (14) days prior to the end date shown on the original loan agreement. Requests received after this deadline will not be considered. The period of an extended loan agreement will not continue beyond forty-five (45) days from the ending date of the original loan agreement. An extension of a loan agreement for a period of less than forty-five (45) days may be considered if such an extension would benefit the needs of the consumer or service provider. Return of Equipment The user or responsible party who signed the Equipment Loan agreement will be responsible for all cost of insuring the equipment for return shipping to Project START. Borrowers of loan equipment are requested to retain all shipping cartons for the return shipping of devices. All costs associated with the return shipping or delivery of loan equipment to Project START shall be the responsibility of the borrower. Loan equipment must be returned to Project START no later than three days after the end date stated in the original loan date or no later than three days after the end date stated in an extended loan agreement. Damage of Loan Equipment At the beginning of the loan period the Equipment Loan Specialist will note, on the Equipment Loan Agreement, the condition of the equipment loaned by Project START. Damage or loss of loan equipment, instruction manuals or associated subassemblies while in the possession of the user or responsible party will be the responsibility of the borrower. The Project's Equipment Loan Specialist will determine the cost of repairing or replacing damaged or lost equipment. An invoice for repair or replacement expenses will be sent to the borrower with payment due within 60 days. Normal wear and tear will be accepted and will not be considered within the definition of damaged equipment for the purposes of an equipment loan from Project START. Modification Of Policies and Agreements Equipment loan policies or agreements may be changed at the discretion of the Director of Project START or his supervisors within the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services. Policy or guideline changes may be enacted retroactively, this will result in the immediate change in the terms, conditions, or policies surrounding an on-going equipment loan. Borrowers of equipment or devices will be notified immediately, in writing of any policy change that effects the terms or conditions of their loan agreement. Borrowers must comply immediately with such guideline or policy changes or risk having their loan agreement terminated before the end date stated in the Equipment Loan Agreement or an extension of same currently in force. Devices Available For Loan Augmentative Communication Devices: Prentke Romich Company Zygo Company Sentient Systems Other Miscellaneous Augmentative Communication Devices: Low Vision Devices: Hearing Devices: Other: |
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