West Palm Beach, Fla. - November 3, 2010 - HearUSA, Inc. (NYSE AMEX: EAR), a leader among the nation's hearing care providers, recognizes the challenges faced by our military veterans and their loved ones who are living with untreated hearing loss.
In commemoration of Veterans Day, HearUSA is seeking to raise awareness of its year-long partnership with Veterans Care Plus, a veteran's health advocacy group, to offer affordable hearing care to the millions of veterans and their family members who do not qualify for benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
"HearUSA wants to recognize and honor the contribution of our fine servicemen and women, as well as the sacrifices made by their close family members," said Steve Hansbrough, chairman and CEO of HearUSA. "It is only with the support of their families during difficult deployments and upon their return that makes service by our veterans possible."
According to a recent Washington Post article, only about 8 million of the nation's 23 million veterans use VA benefits and health-care services. Additionally, of the Veterans of Foreign Wars members who were surveyed at the VFW National Convention, 50% identified themselves as suffering from some level of hearing loss. In fact, this issue is so important to veterans, the March 2011 edition of VFW Magazine is expected to feature an article on hearing loss.
Based on these statistics, combined with the millions of dependents without a hearing benefit, HearUSA realizes that there are a significant numbers of veteran households that can benefit from a discount hearing program designed just for them.
"Our ability to hear and interpret speech and sound is crucial to every facet of our lives, including social, emotional and educational," said Dr. Cindy Beyer, senior vice president of HearUSA. "With the help and advocacy of Veterans Care Plus, we are able to enrich the lives of veterans and their family members through quality hearing care."
The program focuses on educating veterans and their family members about hearing loss and the importance of good hearing care. It offers personalized evaluations and hearing care options, along with excellent customer service. Program benefits include access to more than 2,000 licensed and qualified hearing care providers nationwide, savings on a wide range of digital hearing aids, extended warranty, and interest free financing.
According to Dannion Brinkley, co-founder of Veterans Care Plus: "We've seen a great response so far to this program, and we've helped dozens of veterans obtain affordable hearing care. We look forward to continuing this important program for our members."
About Veterans Care Plus
Veterans Care Plus is a Veteran-founded advocacy group committed to improving access to affordable healthcare products and services of greatest need to Veterans and their family members not well served through the Veterans Administration. Veterans Care Plus is committed to assist all veterans and their families to better understand their existing healthcare coverage and benefits, and then identify sources of care and savings through Veterans Care Plus contracted providers and care affiliates nationwide. Among its growing number of programs and services, Veterans Care Plus provides multiple options for savings on prescription medications as well as hearing, diabetes, and vision care. Additionally, through its hearing program, Veterans Care Plus provides monetary support to the national largest veterans service organizations as a way to give back to the veteran population. For more information, please visit www.veteranscareplus.com.
About HearUSA, Inc.
HearUSA (NYSE Amex: EAR) is the recognized leader in hearing care for the nation's top managed care organizations through its network of more than 2,000 hearing care providers and 176 company-owned centers. HearUSA is the nation's only hearing care network accredited by URAC, an independent, nonprofit health care accrediting organization dedicated to promoting health care quality through accreditation, certification and commendation. HearUSA is also the administrator of the AARP Hearing Care Program, designed to help millions of Americans aged 50+ who have untreated hearing loss. For more information about HearUSA, visit www.hearusa.com, or go to www.hearingshop.com for a wide selection of hearing related products available for purchase online.
