The National Board for Certification in Hearing Instrument Sciences (NBC-HIS) is sending the message below on behalf of the International Hearing Society (IHS). HHP would like to forward this to our membership. As many of you know IHS reintroduced to Congress legislation known as "Fit to Serve" earlier this year. They need all of us to contact our congressional representatives and encourage them support this legislation.  Details and a call to action are in the message below. If you have any questions, please contact IHS at 734-522-7200 or info@fittoserve.us 

IHS FIT TO SERVE LEGISLATION

As you know, our "Fit to Serve" legislation was recently reintroduced in Congress as H.R.353/S.564, the Veterans' Access to Hearing Health Act of 2015. While we have generated much support for the bills from veteran and medical organizations, there are some audiology organizations - AAA, ASHA, Association of VA Audiologists (AVAA) and Military Audiology Association (MAA) - who oppose our legislation and are making their voices heard.

We must speak up and tell Members of Congress that hearing aid specialists are fully qualified to help Veterans with their hearing aid needs.

 These opposing groups describe hearing aid specialists' training as "prefatory" - or introductory - and say that hearing aid specialists are therefore unable to provide the type of care that Veterans need. They say that allowing hearing aid specialists to serve Veterans as VA providers would "represent a compromise in quality of hearing healthcare services currently rendered."

Are you going to accept this?

Certainly there are Veterans who present with complex medical and/or psychological conditions and in those cases should always work with an audiologist who is part of an interdisciplinary team. But for those Veterans with simple cases - the Vietnam-era Vet who needs a new set of hearing aids or an adjustment, for example - hearing aid specialists are a suitable provider.

Click here to contact your Members of Congress to share with them the experiences of Veterans who are trying to access care through the VA but cannot or will not.

But wait...there's more.

Opponents also say that the VA can already hire hearing aid specialists.Not quite.1) They can only be hired as a "technician." 2) Technicians are prohibited from testing hearing, adjusting hearing aids and providing most other services that are within the scope and training of a hearing aid specialist - and specifically those that Veterans need most.This means that in this technician role hearing aid specialists are not providing the value add to the audiology-led VA hearing healthcare team that they could if hired to work as a hearing aid specialist.

This bill is not about trying to be VA audiologists or replacing VA audiologists.We respect their role as the team lead in the VA setting.It is simply about helping Veterans by doing what hearing aid specialists do best - provide hearing aid evaluations, recommend hearing aids, fit hearing aids and provide follow up services, and in this case, all under the authority of the VA and VA audiologists who are the first point of contact.

So stand up for your right to help Veterans access the care they deserve. Contact your Members of Congress today to tell them you support H.R.353/S.564. Don't let nay-sayers define your practice or ability.

 Click here to visit our online action alert, through which you can quickly and easily contact your Members of Congress in support of the Veterans' Access to Hearing Health Act of 2015.

Thank you for your assistance. With questions or for assistance, contact us via email through this link or at 734-522-7200.

Sincerely,

Your IHS Fit to Serve Team
info@fittoserve.us