What is Donor Shield?
Donor Shield is a comprehensive suite of support and protections offered to living kidney and liver donors by the National Kidney Registry. It includes living donor financial assistance for donation-related expenses not covered by insurance, as well as a wide range of help before, during, and after donation to make the donation process as easy, convenient, and safe as possible.
Here’s what Donor Shield includes:
Lost Wage Reimbursement
Kidney donors have to take time off from work, usually between one and six weeks, for tests, surgery, and recovery. To help offset any lost wages resulting from that time off, Donor Shield offers lost wage reimbursement up to a maximum of $2,000 per week for up to 12 weeks. (Lost wage reimbursement beyond three weeks requires additional clearance from the transplant center.) You do not have to use short-term disability or any of your own vacation or sick time to take advantage of this assistance—you can keep that time for your future personal needs.
Reimbursement for Travel, Lodging, and Dependent Care Costs
Donors covered by Donor Shield are eligible for reimbursement of donation-related travel, lodging, and meal costs, as well as dependent care costs for children or dependent adults.
Covered travel expenses include transportation (taxi, ride share, car rental, parking), mileage (IRS medical mileage rate), lodging (hotel, motel, Airbnb, etc.), and meals for the donor and an accompanying caregiver.
Dependent care reimbursement covers the cost of care for children or adult dependents of the donor when the donor is away from home during the donation process and when they are home recovering after the donation surgery. Covered dependent care expenses include child or adult day care, before- and after-school care, in-home care, and summer day camp.
The maximum reimbursement for travel and dependent care costs is $6,000.
Kidney Prioritization
In the unlikely event that you ever need a kidney transplant, Donor Shield includes prioritization for a living donor kidney transplant through the NKR. To date, the NKR has facilitated more than 9,000 transplants and none of these donors have returned in need of a kidney transplant.
Voucher Donation
Donor Shield includes two types of voucher donation, which allows a donor to donate now to help someone in need of a kidney transplant while providing one or more vouchers that can be activated in the future for a living donor kidney transplant. There are two types of vouchers: standard vouchers and family vouchers.
With a standard voucher, you donate to an intended recipient. You do not need to be a medical match with your intended recipient. You donate when it is convenient for you and your kidney goes to a well-matched recipient. Your donation generates a voucher for your intended recipient. When they are ready for transplant surgery, they can activate the voucher to be prioritized for a living donor kidney through the NKR. Standard voucher donors can also name up to five family members as backup voucher holders should the initial voucher holder be unable to redeem their voucher.
The family voucher is for people who want to donate to a stranger. You donate according to your schedule and name up to five family members to receive a voucher. If any of the voucher holders ever need a kidney transplant, they can activate the voucher to be prioritized for a living donor kidney through the NKR. Only one voucher may be redeemed.
Remote Donation
Donor Shield’s remote donation program allows donors to avoid air travel for donor evaluation and surgery. With remote donation, donors have the option of completing their donor evaluation and surgery at a local NKR transplant center, eliminating the need for time-consuming and expensive air travel and hotel stays.
Donor Connect
Donor Shield includes Donor Connect, a free, optional program that gives donor candidates the option to speak with a donor mentor. A donor mentor is a living kidney donor who can explain the process, answer questions, offer insights, and provide education based on their own kidney donation experience.
Best Match
Donors covered by Donor Shield have access to the latest technology in kidney matching. This ensures your kidney goes to the best-matched recipient, which increases the chances of a successful, long-lasting transplant.
Legal Support
Donors protected by Donor Shield are offered living donor financial assistance in the form of free legal support for unlawful employment termination, health insurance discrimination, life insurance discrimination, or other issues directly related to kidney donation.
Complication Protection
Complications related to donor surgery are rare, but if you have any type of donation-related complication after your kidney donation surgery that is not covered by insurance or other sources, Donor Shield offers cost reimbursement. Donor Shield provides travel and dependent care reimbursement up to $6,000, and lost wage reimbursement of up to $2,000 per week, for treatment of donation-related complications. Lost wage reimbursement beyond 12 weeks requires additional documentation.
Streamlined Donation Process
When you donate through Donor Shield, the entire screening process can be done through the NKR’s simple living donor intake platform, which streamlines the process from initial donor registration to post-transplant follow-up. The online registration and screening process allows donor candidates to quickly determine if they are preliminarily qualified to donate. Donor candidates who do move forward will be able to complete their preliminary lab work at a local lab, allowing clinicians to assess the candidate’s general health and identify rule-out issues before the first visit to the transplant center.
Home Blood Draws
Donor Shield offers home blood draws, allowing donors to eliminate trips to the transplant center. With home blood draws, a phlebotomist comes directly to your home or place of employment, enabling you to move forward with the donation process without using personal time or taking time off work for routine blood draws.
Qualifying for Donor Shield
All donors who donate through the National Kidney Registry, including paired donation or voucher donation, or through a Donor Shield Direct Center are automatically covered by Donor Shield. Donors are not required to provide financial or income information in order to qualify, and no one is disqualified on the basis of income. Kidney prioritization is available through NKR’s Voucher Program, NKR swaps, NKR internal direct donations, remote direct donations, and Kidney for Life direct donations.