Missouri Code of State Regulations › Title 5 - DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION › Division 100 - Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing › Chapter 300 - Hearing Aids › Section 5 CSR 100-300.010 - Hearing Aid Distribution Program

Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 14, July 15, 2024
PURPOSE: This rule establishes the Missouri Hearing
				  Aid Distribution Program and sets forth the requirements for qualifying for
				  assistance in the purchase of a hearing aid.
(1) "Applicant" means any individual applying
				for assistance from the Hearing Aid Distribution Program (HADP) for the
				purchase of a hearing aid(s).
(2)
				"Hearing aid" shall include any wearable device or instrument designed for or
				offered for the purpose of aiding or compensating for human hearing loss and
				that can provide more than fifteen decibel (15 dB) full-on gain via a two (2)
				cc coupler at any single frequency from two hundred (200) through six thousand
				(6000) cycles per second, and any parts, attachments, or accessories, including
				earmold, but excluding batteries, cords, receivers, and repairs. "Hearing aid"
				shall not include cochlear implants, Baha system/device, services or equipment
				used in therapy, or medical supplies, that are not available through the HADP
				program.
(3) An applicant may only
				be awarded hearing aid(s) one (1) time during a period of three (3) program
				years (July-June). The HADP shall be invoiced by a licensed Missouri hearing
				aid vendor who may be reimbursed for actual costs up to three thousand nine
				hundred dollars ($3,900) per pair, or one thousand nine hundred fifty dollars
				($1950) for one (1) hearing aid. Funding is available only for any portion of
				the cost of a hearing aid(s) that is not the responsibility of, or covered by,
				another agency or entity (i.e. private insurance, Medicaid, Medicare,
				etc.).
(4) To qualify for
				assistance from the HADP, an applicant must-
(A) Submit the completed application on the
				form provided by the Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
				(MCDHH) with all financial and audiogram sections/questions completed, in
				addition to including all required documentation requested in these
				sections;
(B) Submit with and at the
				time of application, an audiogram assessment performed by either a physician
				licensed under Chapter 334, RSMo, an audiologist licensed under Chapter 345,
				RSMo, or a hearing instrument specialist licensed under Chapter 346, RSMo,
				within six (6) months of the application establishing the need for a hearing
				aid, including written verification and audiogram by the licensed
				professional;
(C) Submit all income
				documentation establishing that the applicant's household income is at or below
				one hundred percent (100%) of the current federal poverty guidelines issued by
				the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including but not limited to
				federal income tax returns, paycheck stubs summarizing the full income from the
				source for the year, W-2s, evidence of job loss, and/or a benefit letter. For
				purposes of calculating the federal poverty level, "persons in
				family/household" shall be equal to the number of taxpayers and dependents
				within which the applicant is included. If the applicant is not required to
				file a federal tax return, does not file a federal tax return, and is not named
				as a dependent on the federal tax return of another, the "persons in
				family/household" shall be one (1). The household income of the applicant shall
				be equal to the sum of 1) the combined adjusted gross income of the household
				members as found on their federal income tax return(s) for the prior year and
				2) any other untaxed income (before withholdings) not reported in a federal tax
				return, such as wages, salaries, tips, unemployment, severance, disability,
				lottery, maintenance or alimony, social security benefits, and any untaxed
				income, as well as child support payments over three hundred dollars ($300) per
				child for any applicant should be included. If income has been significantly
				reduced during the current year, documentation of such may be submitted for
				consideration. The applicant may also submit for consideration proof of all
				out-of-pocket medical expenses or financial losses affecting the household's
				financial position, including medical, job loss, or other financial loss that
				can be documented;
(D) A written
				quote from the Missouri licensed hearing aid vendor selected by the applicant
				shall be provided with the completed HADP application and shall include all
				costs for the hearing aid(s) including: any future follow up visits, cleanings,
				follow up tests, a minimum one- (1-) year warranty and thirty- (30-) day trial
				period, as well as how wear items will be covered (including parts and labor).
				The quote must be completed by the licensed vendor in Missouri and included
				with the application; and
(E) Submit
				adequate evidence demonstrating residency for at least one (1) year within the
				state of Missouri.