If you’re enrolled in VA health care, hearing aids are available to you at no cost. The VA covers the devices themselves, all repairs, replacement batteries, and accessories for as long as you maintain your eligibility. The process involves three main steps: enrolling in VA health care, scheduling an audiology evaluation, and getting fitted if the audiologist determines you need them.
Step 1: Enroll in VA Health Care
Before you can get hearing aids, you need to be registered in the VA health care system. If you’re already enrolled at a VA Medical Center, you can skip ahead to booking your audiology appointment. If not, you’ll need to complete Form 10-10EZ, which is the standard enrollment application for VA health benefits.
There are three ways to enroll:
- Online: Fill out Form 10-10EZ on the VA website at va.gov/health-care/apply-for-health-care-form-10-10ez
- In person: Visit the enrollment section at any VA Medical Center or clinic
- By mail: Send a completed Form 10-10EZ to the VA Medical Center you’d like to use (make sure you sign it, or it won’t be processed)
Bring or have ready: a copy of your DD-214, your driver’s license, and your health insurance information if you have any. The DD-214 is the most important document since it verifies your service history.
Step 2: Get an Audiology Evaluation
Once you’re enrolled, contact your VA Medical Center’s Audiology and Speech Pathology Clinic to schedule a hearing evaluation. You can do this by calling the clinic directly or asking your primary care provider for a referral, depending on how your local facility handles scheduling.
At the appointment, an audiologist will test your hearing and determine whether hearing aids or other assistive devices are clinically appropriate. This isn’t a rubber stamp; the audiologist makes the call based on your results. If your hearing loss is mild enough that aids wouldn’t provide meaningful benefit, they may recommend monitoring instead. But if aids are warranted, you’ll move to the fitting stage.
Step 3: Fitting and Receiving Your Devices
If hearing aids are recommended, the audiologist will select the right type and style for your specific hearing loss pattern and fit them during a follow-up appointment. The VA contracts with the five largest hearing aid manufacturers in the country: GN Resound, Oticon, Sonova, Starkey, and WS Audiology. Together, these companies hold about 90% of the U.S. market for prescription hearing aids, so you’re getting the same premium, brand-name technology available at any private audiology practice.
The devices provided are digital, customized prescriptive hearing aids. Depending on your needs, your audiologist may fit you with rechargeable or battery-powered models, and the VA also covers wireless accessories like TV streaming devices, remote microphones for hearing at a distance, and smartphone-compatible remotes. If you have hearing in only one ear, specialized routing transmitters are available too.
What It Costs
Nothing. Premium hearing aids on the private market typically run $2,000 to $7,000 per pair, but the VA provides them at no charge to eligible veterans. That includes the initial devices, all future repairs, replacement batteries, and supplies like domes, wax guards, and drying products. There is no copay for the audiology appointments or the devices themselves.
Reordering Supplies
Once you have your hearing aids, you can reorder batteries, domes, wax guards, cleaning supplies, and desiccant (drying products) through the VA’s online ordering system at va.gov/health-care/order-hearing-aid-or-CPAP-supplies-form. It’s straightforward and doesn’t require a new appointment.
If you need supplies faster than the online system can deliver, or if you run into any issues, call the Denver Logistics Center (DLC) at 877-677-8710 (TTY: 711). They’re available Monday through Friday, 8:15 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern. You can also email them at [email protected].
Remote Adjustments and Teleaudiology
You don’t always need to drive to a VA facility for follow-up care. The VA offers teleaudiology services that let audiologists reprogram and fine-tune your hearing aids remotely. This clinic-to-home option means adjustments can happen from your living room, which is especially useful if your nearest VA audiology clinic is far away. Many of the hearing aids issued by the VA also have companion smartphone apps that give you some control over settings between appointments.
If Your VA Is Too Far or Too Busy
Audiology falls under specialty care within the VA system. If the nearest VA facility that offers audiology services is more than a 60-minute drive away, or if the soonest available appointment is more than 28 days out, you may qualify for community care. This means the VA will authorize you to see a private audiologist at VA expense. You don’t need to meet both criteria; either the drive time or the wait time alone can qualify you.
To request community care, talk to your VA care team or contact your local VA facility’s community care office. They’ll verify whether you meet the access standards and coordinate the referral if you do.
Tinnitus and Related Conditions
Tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ears) is the most common service-connected disability among veterans. If you have a tinnitus rating or are experiencing hearing-related symptoms of any kind, mention it at your audiology evaluation. Modern hearing aids often include tinnitus masking features that generate background sound to reduce the perception of ringing, and VA audiologists can program these features into your devices. The VA also provides other assistive listening and alerting devices tailored to individual needs, so the evaluation covers more than just standard hearing aids.