The NDIS has now been operating in Townsville for over a year and I covered off on how the NDIS can help people with hearing loss in a previous column.
But, I thought it worth revisiting as I still see patients who are surprised that there is now funding available for the treatment of their hearing loss.
In the past there was very little funding available for help with hearing loss unless you qualified for the Office of Hearing Services Program (OHSP). The eligibility criteria for the OHSP meant that the vast majority of people with hearing loss between the ages of 25-65 had no option but to pay privately for their hearing loss treatment and hearing aids. With the advent of the NDIS this has all changed. 

NDIS funding available for people with hearing loss
The NDIS will provide funding to anyone with a hearing loss irrespective of whether they qualify for the OHSP or not. If the impact of your hearing loss is deemed to be severe or profound enough, the NDIS will pay for a variety of services and devices as required including:
• Hearing aids
• Hearing aids
• Ongoing hearing loss treatment
• Alert systems e.g. baby cry, smoke alarm, doorbell monitors
• Bluetooth accessories
• TV streamers
• FM systems
• Remote Microphones
The only thing the NDIS won’t cover is your initial hearing loss assessment required to determine your eligibility for participation in the NDIS.

How to get access to the NDIS
Over the past year, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), who administer the NDIS, have continued to clarify eligibility requirements for NDIS participants with hearing loss. In the past there were some general frameworks but these have now been tightened and clarified considerably.
The one piece of advice we now give to potential NDIS participants when they see us for an NDIS eligibility assessment is to ensure they detail in depth how their hearing loss is impacting them privately, socially, and at work on their Access Request Form. 
The questions we tell them to ask themselves are: “If you didn’t have hearing aids, what couldn’t you do? What couldn’t you participate in? What would you miss out on?” The point to note that while your hearing loss thresholds might meet the technical eligibility criteria (now 4FA 65dB), you must also show how your hearing affects you, and to what extent, in your day to day life.

Now is the time to act on hearing loss
While not every Australian will be covered by the NDIS, hearing health support is now available to a much greater number in the population. If you, or someone you know are struggling with hearing loss, now is the time to address the disorder for good. Check out our downloadable NDIS guide on our website.

Clarity Hearing Solutions
266 Charters Towers Road Hermit Park
60 N Beck Drive Condon
4779 1566 or 1300 CLARITY
www.clarityhearingsolutions.com.au