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It's HEAR 22Announcing changes to ACC re Hearing Loss InjuriesIt’s HEAR 22 Info alerts to our email contacts from Hearing Association Christchurch –4 March 2010
THE CLOCK’S TICKING ON HEARING CLAIMS – GET IN QUICK!
(Taken from Press Releases by L Carroll, National Foundation for Deaf-NFD- & J Harwood spokesperson for the Hearing Association; Information also obtained from K Pullar of Oticon NZ Ltd)
New Zealanders with damaged hearing should get their claims into ACC now if they want their cases treated on merit, says the National Foundation for the Deaf.
The government this week passed legislation that makes fundamental changes to the way ACC treats hearing injuries under the Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation and Compensation Amendment Act. These changes which will affect people with hearing damage resulting in a total hearing loss of less than 6%, do not come into effect until July 1 2010 so it is imperative that people get in quickly in order to have their cases treated on merit.
A significant group of people, especially the elderly, are going to suffer under this legislation. One of the changes in the new legislation specifically excludes age-related hearing loss from coverage by ACC, but scientists say that it’s impossible to separate noise damage and age-related hearing loss. It is believed that noise damage can actually accelerate age-related hearing loss – it ages hearing – and that as the new law stands medical specialists cannot accurately meet the new standards.
Therefore we agree with NFD’s comments that this law removes the ability of hearing professionals to judge a case on its merits. Now a person must be over the 6% threshold for ACC assistance to kick in. Six percent hearing loss does not mean a person has 94 percent hearing!
Karen Pullar of Oticon also points out that the “6% threshold” means 6% before ACC makes their age adjustments – and that for older men the threshold could in fact be 15-20% due to ACC’s Table of Age Adjustments. Age deductions start at age 57 for men and 66 for women.
So the best advice we can give to people who have noise induced hearing loss, or damaged hearing due to medically prescribed drugs is to get to an audiologist now, get your hearing assessed, and if you have hearing damage, get your claim into ACC as quickly as possible. Also if you are currently working in a noisy environment make sure you have your hearing checked annually and keep all records pertaining to your hearing for any future claims that may eventuate.
NEW CRITERIA FOR FUNDING HEARING AIDS
As of yesterday (3 March) the Government has introduced changes to eligibility for funding of hearing aids. These changes will assist those who under the old system were disenfranchised , however it concerns us that there will be some who will now miss out – the many who work and require hearing aids in order to function in their jobs, but who earn too much to qualify. They will receive a flat subsidy of $500 per aid, but may still not have any spare cash lying in the bank that they can use to fund the rest!
If you are interested in reading about the changes to hearing aid funding, then send me an email and I will send you the documents concerned.
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