Home Modification Access Committee Update

By Jim Greatorex, Vice President, VGM Live at Home

We had our first conference call meeting with the Home Modification Access Committee on Jan. 24, during which we discussed the big-picture purpose of the committee and how we plan to put together our agendas and address issues at both federal and state levels.

One focus is on the following:

• Contributing to the efforts of getting HR 1780 The Senior Accessibility Act passed.
• Helping members of this committee work through any state issues that inhibit their ability to do business, such as an over-reaching elevator law.
• Keeping abreast of the goings on in the Veterans Affairs world of Home Modifications.
• Discussing market changes and how they affect our industry.

For our next call on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 9 a.m. CST, we will have Tom Powers from VGM Government Relations as our guest. He will help us understand the process of working through state government politics and how we can effectively address a state licensure issue.

In March, we have tentatively scheduled Louis Tenenbaum from Homes Renewed and the gentleman responsible for bill HR 1780 on the call to give an overview of his efforts and to field questions.

To participate in future calls with this committee, please contact either Rose Schafhauser from the HME state association MAMES at info@mames.com or 651-351-5395, or Jim Greatorex at Jim.Greatorex@vgm.com.

Please forward any potential agenda items to Jim Greatorex.

We welcome everyone who has revenue in the home modification category to join.

If you belong to a current HME state association, it is free to join the call. Otherwise, the cost is $300 annually to MAMES.