http:\/\/www.hearingaidtaxcredit.org\/<\/a><\/p>\nHearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act<\/p>\n
What would the Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act do?<\/p>\n
* Provide a tax credit towards the purchase of each hearing aid of up
\nto $500 per hearing aid, available once every 5 years. It would be
\navailable to 1) individuals age 55 and over, or 2) those purchasing a
\nhearing aid for a dependent.<\/p>\n
Why is this special tax treatment needed for hearing aids?<\/p>\n
* Hearing aids are not covered under Medicare, or under the vast
\nmajority of state- mandated benefits. In fact, 71.4% of hearing aid
\npurchases involve no third party payment, which places the entire
\nburden of the purchase on the consumer.<\/p>\n
* While 95% of individuals with hearing loss could benefit from
\nhearing aids, only 23% (7.38 million Americans) currently use them,
\naccording to the most recent ‘MarkeTrak’ report, the largest national
\nconsumer survey on hearing loss in America, conducted by the Better
\nHearing Institute.<\/p>\n
* Thirty-six percent of individuals with hearing loss have incomes of
\nless than $30,000 per year, and household incomes of individuals with
\nuntreated hearing loss are usually much lower than those of
\nnon-hearing impaired counterparts.<\/p>\n
* Two out of three adults with hearing loss cite financial
\nconstraints as a core reason they do not use hearing aids.<\/p>\n
* The average cost for a hearing aid in 2004 was $1,800, including
\nfitting, evaluation, and post-fitting treatment. Seventy percent of
\nindividuals with hearing loss require two devices, increasing average
\nout of pocket expenses to $3,600.<\/p>\n
What is the extent of the problem with hearing loss in the U.S.?<\/p>\n
* Hearing loss is among the most prevalent birth defects in America,
\naffecting 3 infants per 1,000 births. 1.4 million children under 18
\nhave a hearing loss.<\/p>\n
* For adults, hearing loss usually occurs gradually but increases
\ndramatically with age. 10 million older Americans have age-related
\nhearing loss.<\/p>\n
* One of the goals of “Healthy People 2010,” an HHS-led program, is
\nto “increase the number of deaf or hard-of-hearing people who use
\nadaptive devices, such as hearing aids.” The Hearing Aid Tax Credit is
\nthe most cost-effective means to accomplish this goal.<\/p>\n
What is the cost impact of untreated hearing loss?<\/p>\n
* Children who do not receive early intervention cost schools an
\nadditional $420,000 and face overall lifetime costs of $1 million in
\nspecial education, lost wages, and health complications, according to
\na 1995 study published in the International Journal of Pediatric
\nOtorhinolaryngology. The U.S. Department of Education indicates that,
\nin 2002 alone, over 70,000 students, ages 6-21, received special
\neducation services, due to their hearing loss.<\/p>\n
* A 2005 survey to 80,000 households by the Better Hearing Institute
\nreviewed income levels of 43,000 adult heads of household with and
\nwithout hearing loss controlling for degree of hearing loss, age and
\nother demographic variables. In a study titled “The Impact of
\nUntreated Hearing Loss on Household Income” they showed that untreated
\nhearing loss results in a loss of income per household of up to
\n$12,000 per year, depending on degree of hearing loss. For the 24
\nmillion Americans with untreated hearing loss, this equates to $122
\nbillion in lost income, due to underperformance on the job. This
\ntranslates into a cost to society of $18 billion annually in
\nunrealized income taxes (in the 15% bracket).<\/p>\n
* For workers, noise induced hearing loss is the most common
\noccupational disease and the second most self-reported occupational
\ninjury.<\/p>\n
* For seniors, untreated hearing loss causes additional costs to
\nMedicare and other health programs due to loss of independence, social
\nisolation, depression, safety issues, and quality of life. The Senate
\nSpecial Committee on Aging, in S. Rpt. 107-74, noted: “As the wave of
\nseniors begins to experience age-related disability, our current long
\nterm care system will not be able to support this demographic shift.”
\nHearing aids enable seniors to retain their independence and avoid
\nother long-term care costs.<\/p>\n
* In 1999, the National Council on the Aging (NCOA), in collaboration
\nwith the Hearing Industries Association (HIA), conducted the largest
\nknown study on the effects of untreated hearing loss among adults 55+
\nand their families. The study quantified both the negative results of
\nuntreated hearing loss and the positive impact of hearing instruments
\non an individual’s quality of life. This research clearly associated
\nhearing aids with impressive improvements in the social, emotional,
\npsychological, and physical well-being of people with hearing loss in
\nall hearing loss categories from mild to severe. Specifically, the
\ndata positively related hearing aid usage to the following quality of
\nlife issues. Hearing loss treatment was shown to improve: earning
\npower, communication in relationships, intimacy and warmth in family
\nrelationships, ease in communication, emotional stability, sense of
\ncontrol over life events, perception of mental functioning, physical
\nhealth and group social participation. And, just as important, hearing
\nloss treatment was shown to reduce: discrimination toward the person
\nwith the hearing loss, hearing loss compensation behaviors (i.e.,
\npretending you hear), anger and frustration in relationships,
\ndepression and depressive symptoms, feelings of paranoia, anxiety,
\nsocial phobias, and self-criticism.<\/p>\n
Who supports this legislation?<\/p>\n
The bipartisan Congressional Hearing Health Caucus has expressed
\nsupport for this initiative. Also, in an unprecedented fashion, the
\nhearing health community has rallied in unison behind this bill,
\nincluding major organizations of consumers, providers, educators, and
\nmanufacturers: the A.G. Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of
\nHearing; the American Academy of Audiology, the American Speech
\nLanguage Hearing Association, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Alliance,
\nthe Hearing Industries Association, the Hearing Loss Association of
\nAmerica (formerly Self Help for Hard of Hearing People) and the
\nInternational Hearing Society, among others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Important Legislative Issue: Tax Credits for Hearing Aids http:\/\/www.hearingaidtaxcredit.org\/ Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act What would the Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act do? * Provide a tax credit towards the purchase of each hearing aid of up to…<\/p>\n
Read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deaf-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p752R-1F8","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11732,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2010\/09\/20\/hearing-aid-tax-credit-texas-rally-update\/","url_meta":{"origin":6394,"position":0},"title":"Hearing Aid Tax Credit: Texas Rally Update","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"September 20, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Hearing Aid Tax Credit: Texas Rally Update Friday, September 17, 2010 Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX) urged a capacity crowd of 120 Texas Hearing Aid Tax Credit supporters to help him work for passage of the bill (H.R. 1646) in the final months of this Congressional session or in the new\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9216,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2010\/02\/07\/hearing-aid-tax-credit-attracts-record-113th-co-sponsor\/","url_meta":{"origin":6394,"position":1},"title":"Hearing Aid Tax Credit Attracts Record 113th Co-Sponsor","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"February 7, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Hearing Aid Tax Credit Attracts Record 113th Co-Sponsor Sunday, February 7, 2010 Washington, DC, January 26, 2010 - Hearing Aid Tax Credit legislation in the House of Representatives (H.R. 1646) shattered previous co-sponsorship records when Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA) became the 113th Rep. to co-sponsor the bill on January 21.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14434,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2011\/05\/19\/got-old-hearing-aids-donate-them-to-harp-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":6394,"position":2},"title":"Got Old Hearing Aids? Donate Them to HARP!","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"May 19, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Got Old Hearing Aids? Donate Them to HARP! What is HARP? HARP stands for the Hearing Aid Recycling Program. It is a program based in Dallas that collects old or used hearing aids and distributes them to deaf and hard-of- hearing people that cannot afford to buy hearing aids. How\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13085,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2011\/02\/01\/doj-settlement-with-hr-block\/","url_meta":{"origin":6394,"position":3},"title":"DOJ Settlement with H&R Block","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"February 1, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"DOJ Settlement with H&R Block Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, January 31, 2011 Justice Department Reaches Americans with Disabilities Act Settlement with H&R Block WASHINGTON - The Justice Department today announced a comprehensive settlement agreement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with HRB\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2730,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2008\/01\/05\/hearing-aid-recycling-program\/","url_meta":{"origin":6394,"position":4},"title":"Hearing Aid Recycling Program","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"January 5, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Got Old Hearing Aids? Donate Them to HARP! What is HARP? HARP stands for the Hearing Aid Recycling Program. It is a program based in Dallas that collects old or used hearing aids and distributes them to deaf and hard-of-hearing people that cannot afford to buy hearing aids. How are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":195,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2006\/08\/18\/got-old-hearing-aids-donate-them-to-harp\/","url_meta":{"origin":6394,"position":5},"title":"Got old hearing aids? Donate them to HARP!","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"August 18, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"What is HARP? HARP stands for the Hearing Aid Recycling Program. It is a program based in Dallas that collects used hearing aids and distributes them to deaf and hard-of-hearing people that cannot afford to buy hearing aids. How are the hearing aids distributed? 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