Speech Generating Devices

Aetna covers speech-generating devices and necessary accessories/upgrades as DME for members with a permanent severe expressive speech disability (e.g., anarthria, aphasia, aphonia, apraxia, dysarthria) when natural communication is insufficient, the device will benefit the member, and a prior formal SLP evaluation documents the member’s cognitive and physical ability to use the selected device and accessories. Non-dedicated devices (desktops, laptops, pagers, PDAs, media players, smartphones, tablets), multi‑lingual modules, multiple concurrent SGDs/software, and devices with multiple interfaces (unless clearly justified) are excluded, and SGDs not meeting criteria are considered experimental/investigational.

"For a subsequent upgrade to a previously issued SGD, the formal evaluation must include information regarding the functional benefit to the member of the upgrade compared to the initially provided ..."