ReWalk Robotics, Yokneam Ilit, Israel, and Marlborough, Massachusetts, announced that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has issued a national policy for the evaluation, training, and procurement of ReWalk Personal exoskeleton systems for all qualifying veterans across the United States. The VA policy, which is exclusive to ReWalk Robotics exoskeleton systems, is the first national coverage policy in the country for qualifying individuals who have suffered spinal cord injuries (SCIs).
“The research support and effort to provide eligible veterans with paralysis an exoskeleton for home use is a historic move on the part of the VA because it represents a paradigm shift in the approach to rehabilitation for persons with paralysis,” Ann Spungen, PhD, was quoted as saying by the AP news service. Spungen led VA research on the system; she is the director and associate director of the VA’s Rehabilitation Research & Development National Center of Excellence for the Medical Consequences of Spinal Cord Injury.
The VA policy provides veterans who have SCIs access to referral and evaluation at all designated ReWalk Training Centers across the country. Veterans who meet the physical criteria will be referred for training on the use of the device. Successful candidates will then be eligible to obtain a ReWalk Personal system.
ReWalk is the only U.S. Food and Drug Administration-cleared exoskeleton system that has clearances for personal use at home and in the community, as well as in a rehabilitation setting.
Some additional details of the new VA national policy follow.
- Veterans with SCIs may be evaluated for use of the device at one of the 24 Veterans Health Administration SCI Centers nationwide, according to detailed protocols.
- All SCI Centers are encouraged to pursue designation as a ReWalk Training Center.
- Once preliminary criteria for ReWalk training are met, the veteran will be referred to a VA SCI Center designated as a VA ReWalk Training Center.
- Training begins on an outpatient basis and proceeds to the home or community settings.
- Successful training by an individual will be followed by consideration of procurement for a personal unit for use at home and in the community.
The Paralyzed Veterans of America posted an article listing the ten most common questions regarding the VA’s recently released guidance on exoskeletons, which can be found on its website.
