VA to provide robotic legs to paralyzed vets
The Department of Veterans Affairs has agreed to pay for robotic legs that could allow scores of paralyzed veterans to walk again.
Veterans have been petitioning the VA to do this because many cannot afford the $77,000 needed to pay for the powered exoskeleton called the ReWalk. The device was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2014 for individuals to use at home.
VA officials told The Associated Press that the agency sent a memorandum Dec. 10 outlining its plans to train staff to be able to provide the ReWalk.
The company, ReWalk Robotics, said it has evaluated 45 paralyzed veterans who meet the height and weight requirements for the technology, which consists of leg braces with motion sensors and motorized joints.
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