Support for assistive devices in Denmark
Blind mand med førerhund og stok på banegård i Danmark
If you are legally residing in Denmark, you may be entitled to support for assistive devices. It is the municipality that decides on support for assistive devices.
Assistive devices in daily life
If you or your child have a permanent physical or mental disability that can be ameliorated with assistive devices in daily life, you can apply to your municipality to borrow a device, or for a subsidy so that you can buy a device yourself.
Your municipality can provide support for assistive devices, certain consumer goods, and changes to your home or relocation costs if you have a permanent physical or mental disability. The aim is for you to be able to live as normal and independent a life as possible, even if you have a disability.
The reason for your disability is irrelevant – it may be congenital, or have occurred later after illness or accident. It is not your diagnosis that is the crucial factor, but the consequences that you have experienced due to your disorder.
The municipality must provide support for an assistive device if the device significantly:
- Can significantly alleviate the lasting effects of your disability
- Can facilitate everyday life in your home
- Is necessary in your working life.
Assistive devices can be technical devices, such as:
- Walking aids
- Wheelchairs
- Special beds
- Small assistive devices for your kitchen or bathroom
Assistive devices can also be body-worn, such as:
- Supportive corsets
- Artificial limbs
- Breast prostheses
- Wigs (for permanent hair loss)
- Ostomy aids
- Orthopaedic footwear or insoles
- Hearing aids
- Special clothing
- Vision aids
When assistance is granted for some kinds of assistive devices, such as orthopaedic footwear, there is also a user charge.
You must apply to the municipality before you buy an assistive device, and you can obtain support for the most suitable and cheapest device. If you want a more expensive device, you will have to pay the extra cost yourself.
It is free of charge for you to borrow an assistive device from the municipality, and your own finances have no bearing on whether you can obtain a subsidy, or on how much you can receive. The subsidy is tax-free.
You can obtain more information from your municipality. See the link at the bottom of this page.
Assistive devices for jobs or work offers
If you have a disability that is a hindrance in connection with your work, your education or a work offer, you have the opportunity to receive support for assistive devices. You may obtain the support as a loan or grant.
Assistive devices can be:
- work utensils (e.g. a special phone or an ergonomic chair)
- minor workplace adaptations (e.g. a ramp)
- educational material (for example, IT aids for persons with dyslexia)
Preconditions for receiving support include:
- The aid must be essential for you to participate in a work offer, obtain/maintain employment or run a business as a self-employed person, and/or compensates for the limitation on your ability to work,
- The assistive device is not commonly found in your workplace or educational institution, and
- The expense is beyond what your employer or educational institution can be expected to incur.
Contact your local municipal job centre for more information. See the link at the bottom of this page.
Health subsidy for pensioners
healthPensioners can apply for general or extended health subsidy from their municipality of residence. General health subsidies include reimbursements for dental care, prescription medication, hearing aid, physiotherapy, foot therapy, psychological help and/or chiropractor. Extended health subsidies include reimbursement for dentures, glasses and/or foot treatment. Your personal financial situation determines the size of the subsidy.
You can obtain more information from your municipality. See the link at the end of the text.
What should you do if you receive support from one Nordic country and move to Denmark?
If you are moving to Denmark from another Nordic country and receive support for assistive devices, you will often have to apply for the support in Denmark instead of in the country you are moving from. Before you move, you should therefore contact the authority that has granted your assistive devices in the country from which you are moving and the Danish municipality to which you wish to move. See the link at the bottom of this page.
Who should you contact if you have questions?
If you have any questions, you can contact your municipality.
Further information
Please fill in our contact form if you have any questions or if you have encountered an obstacle in another Nordic country.
NB! If you have questions regarding the processing of a specific case or application, or other personal matters, please contact the relevant authority directly.
