Some things that should not be forgotten often drop from the radar over time. To a great extent the Veterans Administration Prosthetic Service Card is one of those things. Once issued to eligible veterans with each prosthetic device, it has now become a rare find indeed.

VA’s Prosthetic Service Card, or PSC, is a card issued to eligible veterans that allows them to go directly to a local (non-VA) source to obtain needed repairs for a VA issued wheelchair, orthopedic brace, blind aid, or artificial limb. A PSC should include each item that an eligible veteran has obtained from the VA by the facilities Prosthetic Service.

The PSC can be handy to have. It can cut down the normal red tape and authorization time required and help to get those important repairs done quickly, regardless of where you are.

From the VA:
“When eligible beneficiaries requiring repairs to authorized appliances do not possess a PSC, prior approval for repairs must be given by the Prosthetic Representative, or designee, before payment of repairs can be made.”

It also allows veterans the use of non-VA sources and closer to home sources for repair of their prosthetic devices. When traveling the PSC can come in really handy for emergency repairs and adjustments.

There are some funding limits to the Prosthetic Service Card. The allowable per-repair coverage is a throwback to sixties pricing.

From the VA:
PSCs are limited to the following amounts:

  • Blind aids and/or braces $100
  • Wheelchairs $200
  • Artificial limbs $300

But-

“Vendors are responsible for ensuring that the appliance being repaired is described on the PSC and for obtaining a Form Letter (FL) 10-55, Authority to Exceed Repair Costs of Prosthetic Appliance, when repairs exceed the authorized limitations of the card.”

This places the red tape squarely in the hands of those who can deal with it. The vendor and the VA.

So what ever happened to the Prosthetic Service Card? Provision for its issue is still on the VA books. Some VA facility Prosthetic Services just stopped issuing them! Unknowing veterans don’t ask for them and many of those who do may get answers such as- “We don’t issue them any longer” or “We stopped doing that at this facility.” Not reassuring answers by any means and by all means incorrect. Provision of Prosthetic Service Cards is not an option that can be decided on a facility-by-facility basis. They should be issued by all VA facilities having prosthetic programs.

If you would like to obtain a Prosthetic Service Card for a device issued by the VA, you can contact the Prosthetics Service at the VA facility from which the device was issued and ask for one. If you are an eligible veteran they should issue a card to you. But, you may want to up your chances by crossing your fingers while rubbing a rabbit’s foot that’s suspended from the mojo you have hanging around your neck.