Assistive Technology Funding for Disabilities in Massachusetts
Assistive technology for adults with disabilities in Massachusetts is not one funding stream — it is four or five overlapping sources, each with different eligibility rules, different categories of devices, and different application processes. Families who understand which source covers which technology can often combine them to build a support system that no single funder would approve on its own.
What Counts as Assistive Technology
For funding purposes, assistive technology (AT) includes any device or service that increases, maintains, or improves the functional capabilities of a person with a disability. That ranges from low-tech solutions like picture communication boards and adaptive utensils to high-tech devices like speech-generating tablets, environmental control systems, powered wheelchairs, and specialized computer access hardware.
The funding category matters because some sources cover only durable medical equipment (DME), while others fund communication devices, home modifications, or vehicle adaptations.
Funding Source 1: DDS Waiver Services
Adults enrolled in a DDS HCBS waiver (Adult Supports, Community Living, or Intensive Supports) can access assistive technology as an authorized waiver service. The DDS service coordinator includes AT in the Individual Service Plan when the technology directly supports the individual's community living, employment, or health and safety goals.
DDS-funded AT can include communication devices, adaptive equipment for daily living, environmental modifications, and technology that reduces the need for paid caregiver hours. The ISP must document why the specific technology is necessary and how it supports the waiver's goal of maintaining the individual in the community rather than an institutional setting.
The limitation: DDS waiver AT funding is subject to the same appropriations and priority constraints as all DDS services. Individuals on the waiver waitlist cannot access waiver-funded AT until they are enrolled in a waiver program.
Funding Source 2: MassHealth
MassHealth covers durable medical equipment and certain assistive devices as a standard Medicaid benefit. This includes:
- Wheelchairs and mobility devices (with prior authorization)
- Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices
- Hearing aids and cochlear implant-related equipment
- Orthotics and prosthetics
MassHealth-funded AT requires a prescription from the individual's physician and prior authorization from MassHealth. The prescribing provider must document the medical necessity, and the equipment must be supplied by a MassHealth-enrolled DME provider.
For transition-age adults, MassHealth is often the first-line funder for high-cost medical equipment because it operates independently of DDS eligibility — anyone enrolled in MassHealth Standard or CommonHealth can access DME benefits regardless of their DDS waiver status.
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Funding Source 3: MassAbility
MassAbility (formerly MRC) funds assistive technology when the technology is needed for employment or vocational training. Through its vocational rehabilitation program, MassAbility can purchase or loan devices that remove barriers to competitive integrated employment — computer screen readers, ergonomic workstation equipment, job-specific adaptive tools, and vehicle modifications for commuting to work.
The AT must be tied to an active Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) developed with a MassAbility vocational rehabilitation counselor. This makes MassAbility a strong funding source for transition-age adults who are exiting school and entering employment, since the AT purchase can be justified as a vocational necessity.
Funding Source 4: The Massachusetts AT Program
The Massachusetts Assistive Technology program (MassMATCH, administered by MassAbility) offers device demonstrations, equipment loans, and a reuse/exchange program for individuals who need to try AT before committing to a purchase or who need a short-term solution while pursuing long-term funding.
MassMATCH also operates a financial loan program that helps individuals with disabilities finance AT purchases at favorable terms when the device is not fully covered by other funding sources.
Funding Source 5: School District IEP Services
Students who are still IEP-eligible (until they graduate with a regular high school diploma or turn 22 in Massachusetts) can receive assistive technology through their school district as a related service or supplementary aid. If the IEP team determines that the student requires AT to access their educational program, the school district must provide it at no cost to the family.
When the student exits school, school-purchased AT does not automatically transfer to the individual — the device is typically school property. Families should request in the IEP meeting that the school specify who retains the device at school exit, or plan to secure replacement funding through DDS, MassHealth, or MassAbility before the transition date.
Combining Sources Strategically
The most effective approach is layering: use MassHealth for medical equipment, MassAbility for employment-related technology, and DDS waiver funding for community living supports. Each funder covers its own category without duplicating the others. The Massachusetts Adult Benefits Guide includes an agency communication log that helps families track AT requests across multiple funders — so nothing falls through the cracks when one source denies a request and you need to redirect it to another.
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