A measure led by U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) to help veterans have better access to hearing services was signed into law by President Barack Obama as part of the larger Veterans Safety Mobility Act.
Duffy’s Veterans Access to Hearing Health Act will increase flexibility by adding hearing instrument specialists to the list of providers the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is allowed to use to meet veterans’ hearing needs. The VA currently only allows the use of audiology doctors for hearing issues.
“I’ve talked with veterans in my district who drive up to 90 miles to get hearing health care from a VA audiologist, but with this bill now signed into law, they can receive the same care from a local hearing aid specialist. Our men and women in uniform deserve options in health care when they return home,” Duffy said.
The number of veterans suffering from hearing and audiology issues is increasing at a rate of 10 percent per year at the VA.
Duffy said this bill was a step in the right direction to providing much-needed reforms at the VA. By providing more options for veterans to receive hearing health care, the measure aims to decrease wait times and free up VA audiologists for more complex cases.
Language from Duffy’s bill, H.R. 353, was included in the Veterans Safety Mobility Act, H.R. 3471.