TRICARE Expands Hearing Aid Coverage
TRICARE’s recent expansion of hearing aid coverage now includes options for the eligible children of retired service members.
According to a press release on the TRICARE official site, “If you’re a parent, you understand the important role hearing plays in your child’s overall health and well-being.” The expanded insurance option may contribute to early intervention for children with hearing loss who are in military families.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and TRICARE say hearing loss “can limit a child’s ability to develop speech, language, and social skills. Early intervention and treatment of hearing loss is key to ensuring your child doesn’t miss any developmental milestones.”
Thanks to updated TRICARE guidelines, hearing aid coverage is expanded, “to include eligible children” of retired service members.
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Expanded Coverage
“Before the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act, TRICARE coverage of hearing aids was limited to dependents of active duty service members with qualifying hearing loss,” according to TRICARE analyst Erica Ferron at the Defense Health Agency. “Now, more TRICARE beneficiaries will be able to receive hearing aids and services.”
The new guidelines have some caveats. One is that this coverage isn’t available overseas. “If your child lives in the U.S. but travels overseas, they can keep their coverage, but they need special approval for overseas care,” according to TRICARE.mil.
Another key point? TRICARE does not provide insurance coverage for hearing aids for retirees. “You may, however, qualify for other special programs,” and the official site urges enrollees to “Check out TRICARE’s hearing aids page” to learn what is and is not covered under current guidelines.
To qualify for the expanded hearing aids option, you must be enrolled in TRICARE Prime and the patient must have a “qualifying hearing loss.”
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for this benefit, the child must:
- Be the child of a retired service member entitled to retired, retainer, or equivalent pay.
- Be enrolled in TRICARE Prime, including the US Family Health Plan.
- Be under 21 years old, a full-time college student aged 21-23, or unable to support themselves due to a disability that began before age 21 (or before 23 if they were a student).
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Qualifying Hearing Loss
- The child must undergo a hearing test and demonstrate a hearing loss of at least 26 decibels in one or both ears.
Key Points to Remember
- The child must have TRICARE Prime and a qualifying hearing loss.
- This coverage is retroactive to December 22, 2023.
- Families can file claims for reimbursement for covered services received on or after that date.
- The benefit is not available overseas.
- Children residing in the U.S. who travel overseas need special approval for overseas care.
If you believe your child may qualify, contact your regional TRICARE contractor for further information and assistance.
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About the author
Editor-in-Chief Joe Wallace is a 13-year veteran of the United States Air Force and a former reporter/editor for Air Force Television News and the Pentagon Channel. His freelance work includes contract work for Motorola, VALoans.com, and Credit Karma. He is co-founder of Dim Art House in Springfield, Illinois, and spends his non-writing time as an abstract painter, independent publisher, and occasional filmmaker.
