On November 15, 2013, U.S. Representatives Sean Duffy (R-WI) and Timothy Walz (D-MN) filed H.R. 3508. The bill seeks to amend Title 38, United States Code, allowing the Department of Veterans Affairs to hire hearing aid specialists internally and to update its contracting policies to allow hearing aid specialists to perform work that currently must be performed by licensed audiologists. The Military Audiology Association (MAA) supports the efforts to ensure that the Nation’s Veterans are provided timely access to quality hearing healthcare. Hearing loss and tinnitus are currently the #1 and #2 most common service related disabilities (VA Annual Benefits Report for FY 2012). However, MAA is opposed to H.R. 3508 as we believe it will fail to achieve the sponsors’ stated goal of improving access to the highest quality hearing healthcare available.
Audiologists are doctoral-level professionals trained to diagnose and treat acoustic trauma and ear injuries, tinnitus, auditory processing disorders, and patients with vestibular complaints, in addition to hearing loss. Given the complex nature of the conditions associated with hearing loss that Veterans exhibit, and the limited training that hearing instrument specialists undergo, these patients are unable to receive the care that they need from this provider type. In fact, services provided to these patients under the proposed legislation would represent a compromise in quality of hearing healthcare services rendered.
The issues that HR 3508 attempts to address are already provided for in Title 30, United States Code, through allowances for contracting of hearing aid specialists when needed. Additionally, the ability to hire hearing aid specialists to job titles that are commensurate with their training, such as Health Aid and Technician Series 0640 of Title 5, already exists.
Proper hearing healthcare is essential to the members of our military, and is just as critical to our veterans. MAA appreciates Representative Duffy and Representative Walz bringing the important issue of hearing healthcare to the attention of congress, but would encourage them to consider rescinding this bill on favor of making more positions available within the Department of Veteran’s Affairs for qualified audiologists. We believe that this would mitigate any access issues that our veterans are facing while maintaining the highest level of care that they deserve.