Program Helps Working Seniors Who Need Hearing Aids

By Jan Howard

Employed senior citizens or seniors looking for employment, who may be experiencing hearing loss but are unable to afford a hearing aid, may be able to find help through a program offered by the state Bureau of Rehabilitation Services (BRS).

To be eligible for the program, a senior citizen must be employed or actively looking for employment.

Kathy Blewett, a representative of the Division of Client Services of the Department of Social Services’ Bureau of Rehabilitation Services in Bridgeport, said the program is part of an overall rehabilitation program for all ages and all disabilities.

Hearing aids for employed senior citizens is “one of the services we can provide,” Ms Blewett, a resident of Newtown, said.

“We provide services to make it possible for people with disabilities to go to work,” she said.

There is no financial means test, she noted, but help from the program depends on the severity of the disability. “The disability has to be so severe that the person can’t work without it,” Ms Blewett said. “The service has to be related to work. It’s all tied into employment.”

Ms Blewett said her agency takes care of all paperwork required for the program. “All they have to do is call and file an application,” she said. The applicant must have an initial hearing test and be evaluated by an ear, nose, and throat doctor, which is paid for by BRS.

The rehabilitation services program has been in existence since World War I, when it provided services for returning servicemen who needed help because of disabilities caused by the war.

Most audiologists in the state participate in the program, she said. “They have to accept state fees, but most audiologists take it.”

Rhoda Nayor, MA, CCC-A, an audiologist with St Vincent’s Special Needs Services, an affiliate of St Vincent’s Health Services in Trumbull, helped Joe Woytach of Southbury, formerly of Newtown, to obtain his hearing aid.

“I needed it to help me hear better at meetings and for taking instructions at work,” Mr Woytach said.

Ms Nayor, who has worked with BRS for more than 15 years, said she is always looking for ways to get hearing aids paid for. “A lot of people are going without them because of not being able to afford them.”

Mr Woytach learned about the program through his mother-in-law who read about it in a newspaper a few months ago.

In January, he went to see Ms Nayor, who performed the initial interview and hearing test. Once she confirmed he had a hearing loss, he was referred to the BRS Division of Client Services in Bridgeport and to a doctor who verified his need for a hearing aid.

Once the approval from the doctor and BRS was received, Ms Nayor ordered Mr Woytach’s hearing aid, and he received it two weeks later. Ms Nayor then adjusted the hearing aids and checked his hearing with them on, he explained.

The entire process took about three months, Mr Woytach said. In a year, he said he plans to take out an insurance policy that would cover repairs or replacements of the hearing aids.

Ms Nayor said if a senior citizen comes to her office and is working, but cannot afford a hearing aid, she refers them to BRS. “They interview them fairly carefully. They have been very helpful to our patients,” she said.

According to a BRS informational pamphlet, a person applying for vocational rehabilitation will be required to provide information about his or her condition and how it affects ability to find and/or keep a job. Employment and educational history will also be reviewed to help the counselor determine eligibility for the program.

To be eligible, a person must have a condition that poses a substantial barrier to employment. The significance of a person’s disability is determined by looking at the limitations caused by the disability.

A person may be asked to participate in medical and other types of evaluations. The counselor will inform the person in writing whether he or she is approved, and, if not, how the decision may be appealed.

Paperwork for the program involves developing an employment plan in which the person and a counselor review job interests and other factors. This will include what the job goal is and what services are needed to reach it.

BRS will provide services a person needs in order to reach his or her vocational goal, such as hearing tests, and will contribute all or part of the cost of a service, such as for hearing aids.

In regard to hearing aids, once all the testing and paperwork is completed, BRS either sends Ms Nayor its approval of the hearing aid she recommended or advises her of the reason why it will not pay for it.

Hearing aids are available in three different technologies –– analog, programmable, and digital –– she said. “There are different size hearing aids in all three technologies.

“Hearing aids are very expensive,” she said. BRS will pay for a better technology hearing aid if one is needed. It does not, however, pay for one that is a smaller size, unless it is specifically needed for a person to properly perform in his or her job, such as a doctor who must be able to use a stethoscope.

“Most people who want to hear don’t care how small the hearing aid is,” she said. “We try to give the patient what they want, but it is not always possible.

 “Every person is an individual case, and we have to treat it like that,” Ms Nayor said.

The BRS counselor will follow up with a client for at least 90 days after employment or after completion of services that helped the person keep his or her job.

Patients come to Ms Nayor in a variety of ways, she said, such as through referral by a doctor, a newspaper advertisement, or word of mouth. She noted that St Vincent’s offers free hearing screening for people aged 50 years and older.

She said the time between the original testing and receipt of the hearing aid varies. “It is a fairly long process,” she said.

Ms Nayor said the testing includes an evaluation of how well a person hears a pure tone through a frequency range required for speech and music. This includes the softest level the person understands and what loud levels may bother them. “It’s the comfort level at which they can understand speech. Some people have problems with hearing because of loud noises.”

The hearing test also determines whether a person would benefit from medical or surgical treatment as well as hearing aids. “If they have a medical condition, I refer them to a doctor,” she said. Then she follows up with the doctor to make sure the medical condition is addressed before ordering hearing aids.

Ms Nayor’s office is at 95 Merritt Boulevard in Trumbull. She can be reached at 203-386-2736, Fax 203-377-8950. The district office of the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services Division of Client Services is at 1057 Broad Street, Bridgeport. Its telephone number is 203-551-5500.