The Maryland Department of Aging is excited to announce its statewide Durable Medical Equipment Re-Use program. Many residents of Maryland require the use of durable medical equipment (DME) such as wheelchairs, walkers, shower chairs, and other assistive devices, in order to maintain their safety and mobility. Often the cost of this equipment is a financial burden, not only to uninsured residents, but also to insured residents whose insurance will not approve the equipment needed or whose approval is delayed. This first of its kind, statewide program collects gently-used durable medical equipment, sanitizes and refurbishes each item, and makes them ready for use for adults and children who need equipment, subject to availability. This program will greatly improve the mobility and quality of life of many Maryland residents.
Available Equipment
We provide Durable and Home Medical Equipment such as (subject to availability):
- Canes, crutches, and walkers
- Shower chairs and tub transfer benches
- Bedside commodes and toilet safety rails
- Rollators
- Manual and transport wheelchairs
- Power wheelchairs and power scooters
- Home hospital beds and bed rails
- Mechanical lifts
The DME Process
Step 1:
We provide DME to Maryland residents with any injury, illness, or medical status, regardless of age, at no cost. The beneficiary of the equipment must be a Maryland resident. Since our program relies solely on donations, we have a limited inventory of equipment. As such, our service is reserved for individuals who have exhausted all other means of attaining DME. That is, individuals with insurance coverage (Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance) should first attempt to attain DME through their insurance providers before requesting equipment from our program. After all, our goal is to support Marylanders with a defined need and continue to do so in the distant future.
Step 2:
Healthcare professionals (PT, OT, MD, DO, PA, or CRNP only) can initiate a request for DME from our program by printing and completing the Request Form. Please Note: requests for power wheelchairs and power scooter must be completed by a Physical Therapist or Occupational Therapist only. 
Download the Complex DME Request Form.pdf
Complete Parts B and C: Parts B and C must be completed by a Healthcare Professional (PT, OT, MD, DO, PA, or CRNP only) along with a signature in black or blue ink at the end of Part C (Note that all fields denoted with an “*” are required. Failure to provide this information will void your request.). Please note: it is the responsibility of the Healthcare Professional to select the appropriate equipment for the Beneficiary (your patient). Please include any additional information that may assist in providing the appropriate equipment (seat width, seat depth, etc.).
Part A must be completed by the patient or a caregiver. Please give the form to the patient or their caregiver to complete Part A. Whoever completes this section and signs the Liability Waiver and Release Agreement will take ownership of the requested equipment.
Step 3:
After parts A, B, and C are completed, the Request Form should be submitted (by either party) to our program via mail or email:
Mail the completed form to:
Maryland Durable Medical Equipment Re-Use
11701 Crain Highway
Cheltenham, MD 20623
Or, scan the completed form (cell phone pictures are not acceptable) and email to: DME.MDOA@maryland.gov
Step 4:
Once we receive and process a completed request form, we will contact the Requestor (the patient or caregiver), via the phone number provided, to notify them if the requested equipment is in-stock. If the equipment is in-stock, a pick-up appointment will be scheduled.
Step 5:
Maryland Durable Medical Equipment Re-Use contacts the requestor to schedule an appointment for pick-up. Delivery is not available.
A formal prescription is NOT required; we only require our Request Form to be completed - including Part C completed by a Healthcare Professional treating the beneficiary (Physician, Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Physician’s Assistant, or Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner).
Once equipment is provided to a Beneficiary, it is theirs to keep. Once the equipment is no longer needed, please donate it back to our program so we may redistribute it to another Maryland resident in need.
Please note the Requestor will take ownership of the equipment. The Requestor is the individual who completes the form and signs the Liability Waiver and Release agreement in Part A, page 2 of the Request Form. The Requestor, the Beneficiary, and the pick-up person may be three different people, two different people (for example, the Requestor and Beneficiary can be the same person while the person picking up is a second person), or one person.
We are currently NOT able to provide direct deliveries or provide installation/setup. Equipment must be picked up at one of our sites by the Beneficiary or another trusted individual on behalf of the Beneficiary. The individual designated as the “Person Picking Up the Equipment” should be detailed on the Request Form, Part A.
For most types of equipment we provide, we can transport the equipment to one of our satellite sites around the state for a more convenient pickup location. For what we consider to be Complex DME, these items must be picked-up at our Re-Use Center in Cheltenham, MD.
Complex DME includes: manual wheelchairs, transport wheelchairs, power wheelchairs, power scooters, home hospital beds, mechanical “Hoyer” lifts, and/or any other advanced equipment as determined by the program.
If a Beneficiary is approved to receive DME from us, when applicable, we will arrange for a pickup at a site nearest to them.
Please, contact us!
The best way to get your questions answered is to contact our program
directly. Call 240-230-8000 or email DME.MDOA@maryland.gov
Donating Equipment:For additional information on donating equipment, visit our
webpage or refer to this document of frequently asked questions
FAQ.pdf.
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