Direct Access and Hearing Aid Tax Credit Legislation was Introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives Today

Building on the success of the last two years, The Academy worked with leaders in Congress to reintroduce the "Hearing Health Accessibility Act" today. The bipartisan legislation, sponsored by Representative Jim Ryun (R-KS), would allow Medicare beneficiaries the option of going directly to a qualified audiologist for hearing and balance diagnostic tests, as they may do in programs administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Currently, Medicare requires that beneficiaries with hearing loss or balance disorders obtain a physician referral before seeing an audiologist.

Joining Rep. Ryun in introducing the direct access bill are the following original cosponsors:
Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN)
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-MI)
Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ)
Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI)
Rep. Jim Walsh (R-NY)
Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL)
Rep. George Miller (D-CA)
Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA)
Rep. Tom Allen (D-ME)

In addition to the direct access bill, Rep. Ryun also reintroduced the Hearing Aid Tax Credit Act today. This legislation would provide a tax credit of up to $500 per device toward the purchase of hearing aids. The tax credit is not refundable and may be taken either by a parent purchasing a hearing aid for a dependent child or parent ($500 per dependent per device) or by an individual age 55 or older purchasing a hearing aid for themselves. The credit can be utilized once every 5 years.

The original cosponsors of this legislation include:
Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL)
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA)
Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX)
Rep. Sandford Bishop (D-GA)
Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ)
Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)
Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-MI)
Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-NC)
Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI)
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (R-CT)
Rep. George Miller (D-FL)
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY)
Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL)
Rep. John Duncan (R-TN)
Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR)
Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL)
Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R-VA)
Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS)
Rep. Bill Young (R-FL)

These bills are in the queue to be assigned bill numbers. The Academy will post the bill numbers on the Academy Government Relations web page as soon as they are released. If any of the above cosponsors are Members from your states, please take a moment to send them a thank you for supporting these initiatives. The Academy anticipates that Senate companion bills will be introduced in the near future.

Originally introduced in the 108th Congress, these bills are being reintroduced in the 109th Congress because the legislation did not pass in the 108th. Academy members are encouraged to build support for this legislation by asking your Members of Congress to become cosponsors of this legislation.

For more information, go to www.audiology.org/professional/gov/ where sample letters and fact sheets are posted. Be a voice for audiology and promote the autonomy of the profession!