U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) has joined forces with U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) to advocate for the nation's veterans by expanding their access to over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids.
On Friday, Tuberville said that he and Blackburn recently dispatched a letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins, issuing their full support for increased availability of the technology for those who have served.
"Allowing Veterans to access OTC hearing aids, particularly those with mild-to-moderate hearing loss, could have significant benefits," the senators wrote.
"Not only would it improve their quality of life by reducing the severity of cognitive decline, depression, and other health challenges commonly linked to hearing loss, but it would also provide substantial cost savings for the VA health care system," they added. "We strongly believe that allowing Veterans to access these advanced, yet affordable, hearing solutions can address some of the current barriers in the system, such as long wait times for audiologist appointments and the limited availability of certain types of hearing aids, particularly as enrollment in the VA system continues to grow."
The pair called expanding access to OTC hearing aids a 'step toward' increasing the quality of care available for veterans.
"To that end, Congress is working on legislation directing the VA to develop a demonstration program to assess the fiscal impact and clinical effectiveness of OTC hearing aids within the VA system, and we hope you will support our efforts to advance this proposal swiftly," Tuberville and Blackburn added.
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