Summary:
An amendment to the Veterans’ ACCESS Act has advanced in the House, aiming to include licensed hearing aid specialists in the VA’s Community Care program to improve access to hearing health services for veterans.

Key Takeaways:

  1. Legislative Progress: The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee has advanced an amendment aligned with H.R. 3088, expanding VA coverage to include hearing aid specialists.
  2. Improved Access for Veterans: The change seeks to provide veterans with more flexible, timely access to hearing healthcare—especially in underserved or rural areas.
  3. Support from Key Stakeholders: The International Hearing Society and Rep. Tom Barrett are championing the initiative as a way to recognize the vital role of hearing aid specialists in veterans’ care.

The International Hearing Society (IHS) has expressed its support of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee’s work to advance language including hearing aid specialists explicitly as participants in the Community Care program run by the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA). This week, the Committee considered H.R. 740, the Veterans’ Assuring Critical Care Expansions to Support Servicemembers (ACCESS) Act of 2025, during which Rep. Tom Barrett (R-MI) offered the amendment language mirroring H.R. 3088, the Veterans Hearing Health Expansion Act. H.R. 3088 would amend the VA Mission Act of 2018 to ensure hearing aid specialist participation.

Rep. Tom Barrett offering the amendment to the Veterans’ ACCESS Act at the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
Rep. Tom Barrett offering the amendment to the Veterans’ ACCESS Act at the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee markup on July 23, 2025. Photo: IHS

“Veterans deserve timely, high-quality healthcare no matter where they live,” says Rep. Barrett. “Today, the House Veterans Affairs Committee took a step towards that goal by advancing my Veterans Hearing Health Expansion Act. This legislation would expand the VA community care program to finally include licensed hearing aid specialists to be covered by the VA. I’m proud we could come together to send this critical legislation to the House floor and support our hearing-impaired veterans across America. It’s time to finish the job and give our heroes the flexibility they deserve once and for all.”

Bill Would Include Hearing Aid Specialists in VA Community Care

According to IHS, a membership association that represents hearing healthcare professionals including hearing aid specialists, this continues to be another step in the process of increasing awareness of the work hearing aid specialists do and the value they provide to their patients and communities. 

“We are enthusiastic that the Committee continues to consider hearing health to be an important part of healthcare for veterans, building on its past support for integrating hearing aid specialists on the in-house VA team,” says IHS Executive Director Alissa Parady, CAE. “IHS also appreciates having the support of Congressman Barrett, and we are excited for his continued involvement in securing Veterans’ access to hearing aid specialists through the Community Care program. We look forward to working with other stakeholders on passage of this important bill.” 

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