News - Hearing Loss; Help is available

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Help is available for hearing loss
If you have hearing loss, financial support is available from government agencies to help you buy the hearing aids and other devices and services you need for your hearing.
The help available will depend on your personal financial situation, and whether your hearing loss was caused by:
 > health factors, such as disease, a genetic condition or the ageing process > an injury, either a sudden accident, treatment injury, or long-term noise exposure at work > a combination of injury and health-related causes. Generally, ACC supports people with injury-related hearing loss, and the Ministry of Health supports people with healthrelated hearing loss.
However, if you have both types, ACC provides a onestop-shop that oversees the help available to you through providing jointly funded hearing loss packages from ACC and the Ministry of Health.Other options for you to consider There are other options that may be of help:
 > If you think your hearing loss may be related to active service in the New Zealand Defence Force, you may qualify for help from Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand – generally, this is only available to those who choose not to apply for help from ACC or the Ministry of Health. > If you are on a low income or benefit, you may qualify for special funding from the Ministry of Health, or you may be able to apply for financial help from Work and Income to pay for costs not covered by ACC or the Ministry of Health. This brochure explains all the help that’s available, and how to apply for it.Help for hearing loss caused solely by health factors
Who funds this help? The Ministry of Health helps you where your hearing loss is caused by factors such as disease, a genetic condition or the ageing process.
How do I apply for this help? If your audiologist examines your hearing and identifies that your hearing loss is caused solely by health-related factors or you are not eligible for assistance from ACC, they will make a claim on your behalf for Ministry of Health assistance.
What help is available? The level of Ministry of Health support for your hearing aids depends on your age, circumstances and needs. It is set out in Table 1 below. No assistance is generally available from the Ministry of Health towards the cost of fitting or other service fees.TABLE 1:  MINISTRY OF HEALTH ASSISTANCE TOWARDS HEARING AIDS
Who is eligible Support per aid (inc. GST) Pre-schoolers
Young people – attending school or tertiary education, aged 21 and under
Full funding
Adults with complex needs (aged 16 and over) who have:
 > had moderately severe long-term hearing loss since childhood, or
 > had an onset of sudden and severe hearing loss during adulthood, or
 > a dual disability (deaf/ blind or hearing loss and an intellectual disability)
Full funding – at the wholesale price of the hearing aid
Note: replacement hearing aids are available not more than once every six years except in exceptional circumstancesOther adults aged 16 and over who are:
 > working more than 30 hours per week, or
 > studying full time and over 21 years of age, or
 > volunteering for more than 20 hrs per week, or
 > caring full-time for a dependent person
 > Full funding – at the wholesale price of the hearing aid for people with a Community Services Card;
or
 > Hearing aid subsidy – of $511.11 for people without a Community Services Card
Note: hearing aid subsidies are available not more than once every six years except in exceptional circumstances
All other adults aged 16 and over who do not meet the criteria for adults aged 16 or over set out above, and who do not have complex needs
Hearing aid subsidy of $511.11
Note: hearing aid subsidies are available not more than once every six years except in exceptional circumstancesMore information: You can get more information about eligibility criteria and services by:
 > phoning Accessable on 0800 001 002 > phoning your local audiologist.

 

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