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Hudson Hammer twisted his carbon fiber calf from side to side, showing off where his black J-shaped heel met his sneaker. Fellow amputees Dana Clarke and Carl Barton were impressed.
“That’s the foot I’m going for now,” Clarke said as he pointed at Hammer’s prosthesis. “I tested that one, and I was like a kid in a candy store. It feels like you have toes again.”
Thanks to Senate Bill 408, New Hampshire adults can obtain secondary prosthetic devices — those specialized for an activity, like running or swimming — covered by insurance, starting in 2028. Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed the bill on Monday, two years after state law was changed to mandate the same coverage for children under 19.
Afterward, over a dozen amputees, clinicians and advocates gathered to celebrate at ForMotion, a prosthetics and orthotics clinic in Concord.
The bill’s passage means that athletes around the state can start mentally adding the latest technology to their cart — like Barton, an above-the-knee amputee with his eye on a running blade.
Running on a prosthetic leg designed for everyday wear puts strain on the back. A J-shaped carbon blade, meanwhile, acts as a spring that absorbs the shock of contact with the ground and returns energy back to the runner.
“If the rest of the world wants the amputee world to join them, you need to give us the equipment,” Barton said.
Most people have the option to simply change from street shoes to running sneakers when they want to run a marathon. People living with limb loss aren’t afforded that flexibility.
“I don’t have that option,” Barton said. “But now I do.”
Over a series of hearings that started in January, people who rely on prosthetic devices testified in front of the New Hampshire Senate and House of Representatives. Many of them — like Barton, Clarke and Hammer — were emboldened by the clinicians at ForMotion, who stressed the need for firsthand testimonials in the legislative process.
Jason Lalla, an above-the-knee amputee and certified prosthetist at ForMotion’s Manchester clinic, testified about his experience as both a clinician and patient. Having lost his leg in a motorcycle accident in 1989, he remained determined to stay active — so much so that he won a gold medal at the 1998 Paralympics for alpine skiing.
Though Lalla skis on just one leg, he loves to mountain bike, which requires a specialized prosthetic device. Without access to secondary prostheses, limb loss patients face health risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle, like obesity and depression.
“Coming from the angle of a provider and seeing patients every day and hearing what their challenges are, you feel like your hands are somewhat tied sometimes,” he said. “It was really beneficial, I think, to explain to the committees what kind of difference a prosthesis can make.”
Jason Lalla, a certified prosthetist at the ForMotion Clinic in Manchester, talks about the process of building a prosethetic at the ForMotion Clinic in Concord on July 13, 2026. The clinic hosted an afterparty following Governor Kelly Ayotte’s signing of SB408 that morning. Credit: ALEX MILLER / For the Monitor 
Jason Lalla, a certified prosthetist at the ForMotion Clinic in Manchester, talks with a reporter at the ForMotion Clinic in Concord on July 13, 2026. The clinic hosted an afterparty following Governor Kelly Ayotte’s signing of SB408 that morning. Credit: ALEX MILLER / For the Monitor 
Jason Lalla, a certified prosthetist at the ForMotion Clinic in Manchester, explains the process of creating a prosthetic inside the fabrication room at the ForMotion Clinic in Concord on July 13, 2026. The clinic hosted an afterparty following Governor Kelly Ayotte’s signing of SB408 that morning. Credit: ALEX MILLER / For the Monitor
Hammer, a below-the-knee amputee, lost his leg in a motorcycle accident last May, just weeks after ForMotion opened its clinic. He was one of their first patients. An excavator with an all-around active lifestyle, he attended the very first SB 408 hearing to advocate for increased prosthetic coverage.
Fast forward to Monday, he pondered what to do with the fruits of his labor. His current everyday prosthesis is running-friendly — he ran a 5K race with it — but he wouldn’t mind a leg specialized for skiing, snowboarding or weightlifting.
Clarke, a below-the-knee amputee from Belmont, considers himself fortunate. Through Veterans Affairs, he’s received an everyday leg, a running leg and what he calls a “wet leg,” meant for swimming and showering. When he realized that wasn’t an attainable reality for other people in his position, he took to the legislature to show them the alternative.
“I wanted the panel to know that with the ability to get multiple devices, my quality of life is the best I’m gonna get it,” he said.
ForMotion partners with So Every BODY Can Move, a disability rights initiative aiming to broaden prosthetic and orthotic care in 28 states by the 2028 Paralympics. On Monday, the organization crossed its halfway mark with New Hampshire as the 14th state to enact secondary prosthesis coverage legislation.
“That’s what this is all about,” Lalla said. “Whether someone wants to pursue being a Paralympian or wants to ride a bike with their kids.”
