Wolfy

I am currently in a job I love and as we are in the first stages of the IRV I feel I can make what I do now work over there as my wife and her family have the contacts within the disabled community, basically I repair and service wheelchairs and mobility scooters.

We deal with the American parent company here and found some inside info about creditation and the healthcare system i.e medicare and such and know a lot of people can not afford to buy out right hence the insurance aspect of it all.

My question is, I am not a time served technician, but that is my title on my current contract and have read other technicians IV report when they went to the embassy and were asked by the CONOFF about how his/her qualifications would need to translate to US requirements....I never thought to ask what they meant by that comment at the time.

But my question given my background will it be easy to set up my own business obviously I will be meeting with the reps in the US once I have visa in hand.

Your opinions greatly appreciate and sorry if i have posted incorrectly here.

meauxna

Hi Wolfy,
Because so many of our US members got here in ways other than marriage to a USC, I'll add for them that you will be a Permanent Resident (green card) when you arrive in the US.
I've never heard of a family based immigrant needing to translate their quals for the visa interview, but you may have read employment based applicants who do need to show they have the required amount of US-equivalent qualifications for their visas.

About starting up your own business, you'll want to find your new state's Secretary of State webpage for information on local licensing etc.

Who are your customers? The mobility device owner/users? The insurance company? The device manufacturer? How do you get the work now, and will the method be more or less the same when you are in the US? Will you only be able to work on local machines or are they shipped to you (those things are heavy!).

Wolfy

Very true they are heavy, my philosophy is to call out initally and collect via van, pickup...perhaps do on site repairs where possible. My wife has already registered the business name under her name despite me saying lets get the visa first, but thought it would be a great birthday gift and she was right.

Here in the UK anyone can go out and buy these scooters and use them, there is no legislation against at the moment, but its only a matter of time.

I understand that in the US a person has to be assessed to qualify for a mobility scooter this came from the UK rep who I am guessing got in touch with Pride in PA, the parent company of who we deal with

meauxna

The problem with the mobility scooter thing is that, as you note, they're expensive and most people would not buy them out of pocket themselves. Which means that an insurance company is going to be billed for it. Which means that the insurance co is going to want 'proof' that the person needs the device.
The manufacturers know this and run ads on TV to entice people to call in and their helpers will walk them through all the steps and bill Medicare direct. So, anyone who wants one can pretty much get it. My neighbor got one that he used a total of 4 times. It's sitting in the garage of his son's house now, $6K down the drain. Anyone can now buy it used, but clearly if that person also qualifies for Medicare, they're going to try to get their own new one for now money.
It's not that buying them without a 'prescription' is against the law, it's just prohibitively expensive.

The other issue that comes to mind is that you'll have a limited pool of customers in your geographic area. What with the US being a bit more spread out than the UK, that's the biggest difference that strikes me. I'm sure you'll figure that out though. And it's great that your wife has already registered your business. Good gift, indeed!
One of those Dodge/Mercedes Sprinter vans would make an awesome work van for you.

If I were you, I would start contacting people in the US who will be your referrers. Making lists of senior centers and other places where you'll find mobility users. Fun!

Michael

There probably are needs to repair them because medicare, medicaid, and/or an insurance company may or may not pay for them, may limit the amount that they will pay, may require a copay, and will likely have a limit on how often a recipient can purchase a new one.

If medicare, medicaid, or an insurance company will pay for repairs, it is likely they will have a detailed list of repairs and the maximum amount they will pay for each repair. Often you would not be allowed to charge the patient extra for the repair if it exceeded the maximum allowable charge.

It can be a complicated business when working with medicare, medicaid, and/or insurance companies.

Wolfy

That was another complication, I beleive they only work with acredited repairers and thats where the challenge comes in however my wife working with the medical feild and friends in law enforcement may come handy, there is talk of the local penatentury in servicng the fleet of wheel chairs.

But I am making notes on everything to date

Bob

Other thing that might be a concern, liability insurance....might not be cheap dealing with "medical" devices.

md95065

You may find that local nursing homes and residential care facilities for the elderly are a good source of customers.