Veterans Hearing Aid Improvement Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- H.R. 9001
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-05-21: Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-03T18:32:38Z
AI-Generated Summary
Veterans Hearing Aid Improvement Act of 2026
Purpose
This legislation directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a two-year demonstration project evaluating the fiscal impact and effectiveness of covering FDA-cleared over-the-counter hearing aids for veterans with mild-to-moderate hearing loss, in a manner similar to existing coverage for prescription hearing aids under section 1707(b) of title 38, United States Code. It also requires a Comptroller General study on current veterans' hearing aid benefits.
Key Provisions
- Demonstration Project: Begins within one year of enactment and runs for two years at no fewer than two VA medical facilities across different Veterans Integrated Services Networks, serving diverse rural and urban veteran populations.
- Eligibility: Limited to veterans enrolled in the VA patient enrollment system who receive a clinical determination of medical necessity for mild-to-moderate hearing loss, have no FDA-specified contraindications, and possess a mobile device with data or Wi-Fi access.
- Project Design: Compares an over-the-counter hearing aid group with an audiologist-fitted prescription hearing aid group, allocating roughly equal numbers of participants to each; measures self-reported benefits, speech recognition in noise, and fiscal impacts over a two-year period.
- Consultation and Reporting: Requires consultation with consumer and stakeholder organizations; mandates an interim report to congressional veterans' committees after one year and a final report within 180 days of project completion, including fiscal evaluations and recommendations.
- Comptroller General Study: Examines the number of individuals with mild-to-moderate hearing loss needing aids, existing medical coverage, its effectiveness, and potential contract design changes, with a report to Congress within 18 months including recommendations for VA program adjustments.
- Definition: Specifies FDA-cleared over-the-counter hearing aids as devices regulated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with personalization features via apps and software.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
The bill introduces a temporary demonstration of coverage for over-the-counter hearing aids under the same statutory authority (38 U.S.C. § 1707(b)) currently used for prescription hearing aids, without altering permanent law. It adds requirements for mobile technology access and specific eligibility criteria not present in current VA hearing aid provisions.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: The Department of Veterans Affairs would incur costs for the project, potential expanded coverage, and data collection; the Comptroller General would conduct an additional study.
- Citizens: Eligible veterans could gain earlier or lower-cost access to hearing aids if the project leads to permanent policy changes.
- International Relations: No direct effects identified.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Veterans enrolled in the VA system with mild-to-moderate hearing loss.
- The Department of Veterans Affairs and its audiologists.
- Organizations representing consumers with hearing loss.
- Congress, through required reporting and potential future legislative action.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
The legislation operates within existing VA authority under title 38 without creating new constitutional questions or altering federal-state relations. It emphasizes evidence-based evaluation prior to potential permanent expansion of benefits.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (2)
Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15], Rep. Van Orden, Derrick [R-WI-3]
Recent Actions
- 2026-05-21: Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- 2026-05-21: Introduced in House
- 2026-05-21: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Veterans Hearing Aid Improvement Act of 2026 — issued 2026-05-21 — PDF (8 pages)