HearingLife is accredited to provide subsidised hearing services to pensioners and veterans under the Australian Government Hearing Services Program.

This scheme was developed and introduced to ensure that all people requiring hearing services — who fall into certain eligible groups — have access to free services covered by the Government. This is in recognition of the impact that hearing loss can have to the quality of life of Australians.

Who is eligible?

People are eligible to apply for a voucher if they are Australian citizens or permanent residents, over 21 years of age, and meet one of the following criteria:

• Holder of a Centrelink Pensioner Concession Card
• Gold Health Repatriation Card holder
• White Health Repatriation Card holder (specifying hearing loss)
• Centrelink Sickness Allowance

The following people are also eligible:

• Dependants of a person in one of the above categories
• Active member of the Defence Force
• Clients of CRS Australia (formerly known as Commonwealth Rehabilitation Services) referred by their case manager and attending doctor

What benefits does the scheme provide?

Under this scheme, those who qualify are eligible to receive the following benefits:

1. FREE hearing assessments
2. FREE hearing rehabilitation
3. FREE basic digital hearing aids, or
4. SUBSIDISED advanced digital hearing aids
5. SUBSIDISED hearing aid maintenance and batteries

How does a patient apply?

Eligible patients can obtain assistance by applying to the Office of Hearing Services for a hearing services voucher. This is done by completing the Application for a Hearing Services Voucher form found here.

Your GP will need to sign the form before it is sent to the Office of Hearing Services in Canberra. If you qualify, your voucher should arrive in around four weeks.

To find out if your patient is eligible, you can advise them to call us on 1300 134 097, or visit their local HearingLife branch. We will be happy to help them to fill out the form, as we always have a supply available.

Information on the Australian Government Hearing Services Program is available in a number of community languages on the Office of Hearing Services web site at www.health.gov.au/hear.

What is “Topping-Up”?

Under the Commonwealth Hearing Services Program, those who qualify will be able to obtain a basic digital hearing aid — in many cases this will be satisfactory.

However, the Australian Government Hearing Services Program also allows patients to obtain a more sophisticated hearing aid that will offer them greater benefits. By contributing to the cost of the hearing aid, over and above the costs covered by the Government, it is possible to obtain a “Top-Up” hearing aid. This has more features/benefits and may provide a more satisfactory rehabilitation outcome. All hearing aids, including “Top-Up” aids, are GST free.