To amend title 38, United States Code, to clarify the qualifications of hearing aid specialists of the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

Summary: Authorizes the appointment of hearing aid specialists in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Requires an eligible person to: (1) hold an associate's degree in hearing instrument sciences or its equivalent from a college or university approved by the VA Secretary or have successfully completed an approved hearing aid specialist apprenticeship program, and (2) be licensed as a hearing aid specialist or its equivalent in a state. Requires the Secretary to: (1) submit an annual report on timely access to hearing health services and on contracting policies with respect to providing hearing health services in non-VA facilities, and (2) update and reissue the VHA handbook entitled &quot;VHA Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Services&quot; to reflect the requirements of this Act.   

SECTION 1. APPOINTMENT OF HEARING AID SPECIALISTS TO VETERANS HEALTH 
              ADMINISTRATION.

    (a) Hearing Aid Specialists.--
            (1) Appointment.--Section 7401(3) of title 38, United 
        States Code, is amended by inserting ``hearing aid 
        specialists,'' after ``Audiologists,''.
            (2) Qualifications.--Section 7402(b) of such title is 
        amended--
                    (A) by redesignating paragraph (14) as paragraph 
                (15); and
                    (B) by inserting after paragraph (13) the following 
                new paragraph (14):
    ``(14) Hearing Aid Specialist.--To be eligible to be appointed to a 
hearing aid specialist position, a person must--
            ``(A) hold an associate's degree in hearing instrument 
        sciences, or its equivalent, from a college or university 
        approved by the Secretary, or have successfully completed a 
        hearing aid specialist apprenticeship program approved by the 
        Secretary; and
            ``(B) be licensed as a hearing aid specialist, or its 
        equivalent, in a State.''.
    (b) Treatment of Certain Current Specialists.--
            (1) In general.--A hearing aid specialist described in 
        paragraph (2) shall be deemed to be eligible for appointment to 
        a hearing aid specialist position under sections 7401(3) and 
        7402(b)(14) of title 38, United States Code, as amended by 
        subsection (a).
            (2) Hearing aid specialist described.--A hearing aid 
        specialist described in this paragraph is a hearing aid 
        specialist who--
                    (A) is not covered under section 7402(b)(14) of 
                title 38, United States Code, as amended by subsection 
                (a); and
                    (B) during the two-year period ending on the date 
                of the enactment of this Act--
                            (i) held an unrevoked, unsuspended hearing 
                        aid license, or its equivalent, in a State; and
                            (ii) worked as a licensed hearing aid 
                        specialist in a State.
    (c) Annual Report Required.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, and each year thereafter, the 
        Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress a report 
        on the following:
                    (A) Timely access to hearing health services.
                    (B) Contracting policies with respect to providing 
                hearing health services in non-Department facilities.
            (2) Timely access.--With respect to the matters under 
        paragraph (1)(A), the report shall include the following:
                    (A) The staffing levels, as of the date of the 
                report, of audiologists, health technicians in 
                audiology, and hearing aid specialists in the Veterans 
                Health Administration.
                    (B) A description of how the Secretary measures 
                performance with respect to appointments and care 
                relating to hearing health.
                    (C) The average time, as of the date of the report, 
                that a patient waits to receive an appointment, 
                beginning on the date on which the patient makes the 
                request, for--
                            (i) a disability rating evaluation;
                            (ii) a primary hearing aid evaluation and 
                        ordering of hearing aids;
                            (iii) dispensing of hearing aids; and
                            (iv) any follow-up hearing health 
                        appointment.
                    (D) The percentage of patients whose total wait 
                time described in subparagraph (C) for both an initial 
                and follow-up appointment is--
                            (i) less than 15 days;
                            (ii) between 15 days and 28 days;
                            (iii) between 29 days and 42 days;
                            (iv) between 43 days and 56 days; or
                            (v) exceeds 56 days.
            (3) Contracting policies.--With respect to the matters 
        under paragraph (1)(B), the report shall include the following:
                    (A) The number of patients that the Secretary 
                refers to non-Department audiologists for initial 
                hearing health diagnosis appointments.
                    (B) The number of patients described in 
                subparagraph (A) whom the Secretary refers to non-
                Department hearing aid specialists for follow-up 
                hearing health care as described in paragraph (2)(C).
                    (C) The policies of the Veterans Health 
                Administration regarding the referral of patients to 
                non-Department hearing aid specialists and how such 
                policies will be applied under the Patient-Centered 
                Community Care Initiative.
    (d) Updated Handbook.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall update and reissue the 
handbook of the Veteran Health Administration numbered 1170.02 and 
titled ``VHA Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Services'' to 
reflect the requirements made by this section or the amendments under 
this section.