My little man has received a variety of therapies through his life. We started with speech therapy (ST), then occupational therapy (OT), currently physical therapy (PT) and vision therapy (VT). When a VT evaluation was recommended to us this past December, I didn’t know what it was, if the little man would need it, or how it would help him. I soon learned that even though our health insurance covers ST, OT, and PT, they do not cover VT. That would mean paying cash, along with a 45 minute drive each way (because not a lot of optometrists are trained in VT), once a week. We decided that if it would help him, we should do it. After the evaluation in January, we set up our weekly appointments and shelled out a wad of cash. I thank goodness that we were able to do this, because there are families out there that have to choose between their child’s therapy and buying them new shoes. Even though our insurance doesn’t cover VT, I decided to appeal their denial. Today, the letter came in the mail that let us know that my appeal was approved!! Halleluia!!! Our insurance will cover the vision therapy.
The College of Optometrists in Vision Development has a great website that explains what vision therapy is, how it helps, and where to find an optometrist trained in this type of therapy. They also have a page that educates people on how to appeal a denial of coverage by their insurance company.
