(Washington, DC–December 13, 2013)—The American Academy of Audiology appreciates the important and effective hearing health care provided by audiologists to our nation’s veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Academy is committed to partnering with the agency to ensure veterans continue to receive comprehensive hearing health care provided by audiologists thus ensuring these veterans continue to receive the highest standard of hearing health care.
On November 15, 2013, Congressman Sean Duffy (R-WI) and Congressman Tim Walz (D-MN) introduced H.R. 3508, a bill that would grant the VA authority to employ hearing instrument specialists to provide hearing health-care services to veterans. This legislation, conceived and shepherded by the International Hearing Society (IHS), purports to address delays in service for veterans seeking hearing health care. It is the Academy’s position that any obstacles to hearing health care that VA beneficiaries might experience would not be adequately solved by expanding the list of eligible providers to include hearing instrument specialists.
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 prefatory 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.
Currently, veterans who are unable to secure an appointment at a VA facility within 30 days of initial contact, or do not live within reasonable distance of a VA facility, are afforded the opportunity to visit an offsite audiologist contracted by the agency. Alongside the audiology telehealth services provided under current VA policy, these options serve to resolve any access issues. In instances where these aforementioned alternatives are not feasible, the system already allows for contracted hearing instrument specialists to dispense hearing aids to beneficiaries.
Academy President Bettie Borton, AuD, stated, “We see no evidence that the current model within the Department of Veterans Affairs is broken. We have no shortage of audiologists seeking employment within the VA and would encourage additional positions be made available for qualified audiologists to mitigate any access issues that our veterans might experience. Hearing loss and tinnitus are among the most common injuries affecting soldiers returning from wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Audiologists remain the most qualified providers to treat these types of complex hearing health-care concerns.”
Visit the Academy’s Legislative Action Center to locate your representatives and send them an editable e-mail opposing H.R. 3508.
The American Academy of Audiology is the world's largest professional organization of, by, and for audiologists. With an active membership of more than 11,000 audiologists, the Academy promotes quality hearing and balance care by advancing the profession of audiology through leadership, advocacy, education, public awareness, and support of research. For more information about the American Academy of Audiology, visit www.audiology.org and www.HowsYourHearing.org.
