Tehniliste abivahenditega tegelevad firmad

The allocation of technical aids to people with disabilities is regulated by the Social Welfare Act (RT I 1995, 21, 323; /…/ 2004, 27, 180) and Regulation no. 79 of the Minister of Social Affairs of 14 December 2000 (RTL 2000, 136, 2156; /…/ 2004, 11, 151) “Terms and conditions of and procedure for applying for technical aids and allocating them at a discount”.

The following people are eligible to apply to purchase or hire technical aids at a discount or to have the costs of services related to such equipment compensated:

• the parents or guardian of a child;
• working age people whose incapacity for work is at least 40% (from 30 db of hearing loss in the case of hearing impairment) or who have a certified disability;
• self-injecting insulin-dependent diabetics for the purchase of glycometers; and
• old-age pensioners for whom technical aids improve their ability to manage.

1. Determining the need for technical aids

• The need for small technical aids is determined by a person’s general practitioner or another attending physician.
• In the case of applications for more complex technical aids or prosthetics costing more than 20,000 kroons, the need for such aids is determined by a specialist or a rehabilitation institution.
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The need for a technical aid is evidenced by a doctor’s certificate or a rehabilitation plan setting out the need for such equipment.

The basis for the compensation of prosthetics costing 20,000 kroons or more a rehabilitation plan for children or working age people and a doctor’s certificate or rehabilitation plan (if requested by a local expert committee) for pensioners. The client must cover the cost of production of a rehabilitation plan in the determination of the need for a technical aid. The fee for this is set in the agreement entered into by the county government and the rehabilitation institution.

2. Issuing a personal technical aid (PTA) card

In order to purchase or hire technical aids at a discount or to apply for initial compensation of the costs of services associated with them, applicants must approach their local county government (or local city district government in Tallinn) to obtain a personal technical aid card or PTA card. These cards are issued to clients against signature on the basis of a doctor’s certificate by the client’s local county government or city district government, who keep account of the cards that are issued. In some counties the task of issuing PTA cards is delegated to local government social workers.

In the event of a change of address, a PTA card holder must contact their new county government, where their card will be re-registered and marked with a new number and issuing institution. The person who registered the original card is informed of these amendments.

In the case of prosthetics and other small technical aids costing less than 20,000 kroons which are repeatedly designated for use, applicants should directly approach the companies providing them in order to purchase or hire them at a discount and to apply for initial compensation of the costs of the services associated with them.

3. Approaching companies

After obtaining a PTA card an applicant can directly contact the company, organisation or institution providing the technical aids, which will sell, hire out or prepare the required aid after paying its own share of the costs and making the relevant transfers to the PTA card. The company approves the application with the county government before selling or hiring out the equipment.

Companies which sell or hire out technical aids at a discount must, when doing so, assist clients in setting up and adapting the equipment as necessary and provide them with initial training on how to use and take care of the equipment.

4. Applying for more complex technical aids and prosthetics costing more than 20,000 kroons

The following documents must be submitted to the county government in order to purchase or hire more complex technical aids at a discount:

• application to the local expert committee (in free form);
• personal technical aid card;
• specialist’s certificate or rehabilitation plan in the format established by the Minister of Social Affairs; and
• quotes.
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The same applies in the following cases: the client requires one or more technical aids at a total cost of more than 20,000 kroons, including the cost of training services for use and maintenance; the client needs a new technical aid before the term of use of an existing aid has expired; or the client needs a technical aid which is not included in the list of technical aids.

An expert committee of the county government comprising at least five specialists and representatives of organisations of disabled people then decides whether to approve the application.

The purchasing and hiring of technical aids at a discount and the covering of costs of services associated with them are funded according to social assistance procedures:

• from means allocated from the state budget to county governments for the covering of the costs associated with the purchasing and hiring at a discount of technical aids on the basis of Regulation no. 79 of the Minister of Social Affairs of 14 December 2000 (RTL 2000, 136, 2156; /…/ 2004, 11, 151) “Terms and conditions of and procedure for applying for technical aids and allocating them at a discount”;
• from municipal or city budgets according to procedures established by local government bodies; and
• from the individual’s own means based on the percentage set out in the annexes to the regulation.