Veterans Hearing Aid Improvement Act of 2026

This bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to start a two-year test project, within one year of the law passing, on covering FDA-cleared over-the-counter hearing aids the same way it covers prescription hearing aids. The project would run at two or more VA medical facilities and split participants into roughly equal groups using either over-the-counter or audiologist-fitted prescription hearing aids. Eligible veterans must be enrolled in VA health care, have an audiologist find that an over-the-counter hearing aid is medically necessary for mild-to-moderate hearing loss, and have access to a mobile phone and data or Wi-Fi. The VA would report results and costs to Congress, and the Government Accountability Office would study hearing aid benefits for veterans and report within 18 months.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Marsha Blackburn Republican sponsor
• 3 cosponsors