Free Medical Equipment for Disabled: Where to Get It

Searching for free medical equipment usually means one specific thing has happened: someone needs a wheelchair, a hospital bed, a shower chair or a walker now, and paying two thousand dollars for it is not possible. This guide covers where that equipment actually comes from in the United States, what each route requires, and how to avoid the dead ends.

Start with an honest expectation. Very little equipment is simply given away to anyone who asks. In practice “free” means one of four things, and knowing which one you are dealing with saves weeks:

Covered by Medicare, Medicaid or the VA, so you pay little or nothing
Borrowed from a loan closet or a state reuse program, yours for as long as you need it
Donated refurbished equipment from a charity that refurbishes what others returned
Funded by a grant from a disease-specific organization that pays for the item

The borrowing and donation routes are the fastest and the least paperwork. Start there, and check coverage in parallel.

Start with your state assistive technology program

This is the single most useful and least known route, and it exists everywhere. The federal Assistive Technology Act funds an assistive technology program in every state and territory, including Guam, Puerto Rico and American Samoa, through the Administration for Community Living. Most of them run some combination of three services:

Device reuse. Donated equipment is cleaned, sanitized and repaired, then passed to someone who needs it. Some programs run an exchange board instead, connecting people giving equipment away with people looking for it.
Short-term loans. Borrow a device for a few weeks to find out whether it suits you before anyone spends money on it.
Demonstrations. Try several devices side by side with someone who knows the differences.

Maryland’s Durable Medical Equipment Re-Use program is one example of this, and every state has its own version under a different name. Find yours in the state directory at at3center.net/state-at-programs. Call before travelling, because inventory moves quickly and the useful items go fast.

Find a loan closet near you

A loan closet is a local stock of donated durable medical equipment, often run by a church, a civic club such as the Lions or Elks, a senior center, a hospital auxiliary or an independent living center. Equipment is lent free, sometimes indefinitely, and the process is usually a phone call rather than an application.

Loan closets are almost never findable by searching the phrase itself, because most have no website. Three ways to reach them:

Dial 211 or visit 211.org. Run by United Way, it covers about 99 percent of the US population and refers callers to local agencies. Ask specifically for a medical equipment loan closet or a durable medical equipment lending program.
Call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116, Monday to Friday, 8am to 9pm Eastern. It is a public service of the Administration for Community Living and routes you to your Area Agency on Aging, which usually knows every lending program in the county. Useful for adults of any age, not only seniors.
Ask the hospital. If the need follows a hospital stay, the discharge planner or social worker is the fastest route in the country to borrowed equipment, and this is their job.

Check what your coverage pays before you chase donations

Medicare. Part B covers durable medical equipment, including wheelchairs, walkers and hospital beds, when your doctor orders it for use in your home. After the Part B deductible you pay 20 percent of the Medicare-approved amount, provided the supplier accepts assignment. Depending on the item you may rent, buy, or choose between the two. Use a supplier that participates in Medicare: one that does not can charge you more than the coinsurance.

Medicaid. Coverage of durable medical equipment varies by state, and so do the prior-authorization rules and replacement schedules. Check your own state program rather than assuming, and see our guide to what Medicaid covers.

Veterans. Enrolled veterans can receive prosthetic and assistive devices through VA health care, including mobility equipment, at no charge. Speak to your VA care team or the prosthetics department at your facility rather than applying to charities first.

A denial is not the end of the road. Many charitable programs exist specifically for people whose insurance said no, and several ask for the denial letter as proof of need.

Disease-specific programs

If the disability has a diagnosis attached to it, the organization for that condition is often the most generous source available, because it holds equipment suited to that condition.

Muscular Dystrophy Association. MDA runs a durable medical equipment grant program that pays toward equipment rather than lending it. It is national. You need a physician diagnosis of an MDA-covered neuromuscular disease, US citizenship or lawful permanent residence, and MDA membership, which is free and forms part of the application. The MDA Resource Center is 1-833-275-6321.

ALS Association. Keeps an inventory of gently used durable medical equipment and assistive devices loaned to registered members at no cost, and offers limited financial help toward purchasing equipment. Inventory and terms are handled by regional care teams, so contact the care team for your area.

The same pattern holds for many other conditions. Before applying anywhere general, search the name of the diagnosis together with the words equipment assistance, and check the national association for that condition.

Regional charities that give equipment directly

Most organizations that hand equipment to individuals serve one metro area or one state. That is worth knowing in advance, because national-sounding names are frequently local in practice. Two that are active and clear about their rules:

Friends of Disabled Adults and Children, in Georgia. FODAC refurbishes and provides durable medical equipment including wheelchairs and hospital beds, in Atlanta and Savannah. Equipment is first come, first served, and there is a one-time $25 registration fee for each new client, with batteries and metro Atlanta delivery sometimes charged separately. Bring state identification, and have the recipient’s height and weight ready. Atlanta 770-491-9014, Savannah 912-667-1552.

The Kids Equipment Network, in Illinois. TKEN provides adaptive equipment free to children from birth to age 21, aimed at families denied by traditional funding sources. Applications are available in English and Spanish. Illinois residents only. 630-766-0505.

Use these as a template for what to look for locally rather than as a national list. Ask your state assistive technology program which equivalent serves your area.

If you need the equipment in order to work

State vocational rehabilitation agencies pay for equipment when it is needed to get or keep a job, and their budgets are larger than most charities. This covers far more than office adaptations: vehicle hand controls, mobility devices and assistive technology can all qualify if employment is the goal. Every state has an agency, and applying is free.

Check these four things before you apply anywhere

Programs in this field pause, merge, move and run out of stock, and outdated lists circulate for years. Before spending effort on any organization, including the ones above, confirm:

Is it still operating? Call. One well-known Michigan wheelchair charity indefinitely paused all equipment placement in 2026 while its old website stayed online, and lists across the internet still send people there.
Does it serve your area? Many charities with national-sounding names serve a single county.
Does it serve individuals? Several large medical relief charities supply only clinics and hospitals, and cannot help a person who applies directly, however worthy the case.
What does it actually cost? Registration fees, delivery charges and battery costs are common, and “free” equipment can still carry a bill.

Be wary of any site that asks for payment to access a list of programs, or for bank details to process a free wheelchair. Legitimate programs do not work that way.