Hearing Equipment Plan
Get the pdf brochure of the BCEHP Hearing Equipment Plan in English (link to the left), Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Farsi, French, Korean, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, or Vietnamese.
The BC Early Hearing Program (BCEHP) provides the first set of hearing aids for children identified to have hearing loss at no cost to families. Your child must meet the eligibility requirements described below. The BCEHP Hearing Aid Services are usually provided through the Public Health Audiology Clinics.
Go to a list of the Public Health Audiology clinics offering Hearing Aid Services in BC.
Who is eligible?
If your child is under 3 ½ years of age and has a permanent hearing loss, they may be eligible for this program. The child’s audiologist must provide hearing test results for each ear showing hearing levels and type of hearing loss, and the child’s medical doctor must also give approval that hearing aids can be fit to your child.
What is covered by the BCEHP?
The BCEHP coverage includes the reasonable costs associated with childhood use of hearing aids. There are maximum limits to the coverage, however the following devices are included:
- One set of hearing aids
- Earmolds and batteries for the first 3 years of fitting, or until the child reaches 5 years of age, whichever comes first
- Loaner hearing aids when needed
How do I access the program?
Talk to the public health audiologist at your local public health audiology clinic. The audiologist will fill in a form to enroll your child in the program. The information required includes the child’s name, date of birth, and basic information about the child’s hearing loss. Personal information collected by the BCEHP is gathered under the authority of the province’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, section 26. The information will help BCEHP determine how well it is meeting families’ needs and how it can improve services. To help us provide services to your family, BCEHP may need to share information about your child with professionals who provide services to families as part of the program. These professionals could be in other hospitals, hearing clinics, health units, child development centres, early intervention programs or education centres.
What can I expect?
Public health audiologists have special training and experience with fitting hearing aids and FM equipment to infants and young children. The audiologist will work with you to choose the best fitting for your child. With very young children frequent check-ups will be needed as your child grows and develops. Infants outgrow their earmolds quickly, and hearing testing needs to be repeated often. These services are provided at no charge to you as part of the BC Early Hearing Program.
What hearing aids are available?
A wide range of makes and models are available as part of the plan. There are some additional features required when a hearing aid is fit to a child, such as a tamper-proof battery compartment. The audiologist will recommend the hearing aid that best meets your child’s needs.
What if I already paid for a hearing aid or FM equipment?
Hearing aids, FM equipment and other items purchased outside of BCEHP cannot be reimbursed. Your child may still be eligible for funding of additional equipment or accessories through BCEHP. Check with the audiologist at your local public health audiology clinic.
What if my child’s hearing equipment needs repair?
If possible, the repair will be done by your local public health audiology clinic. Most repairs need to be sent for factory repair. While the repair is being made, your child will get an appropriate loaner hearing aid from the clinic. There are no loaner FM systems available at this time. All repair costs will be covered for the first three years from date of fitting or until the child turns five years old, whichever comes first.
What if my child’s hearing aid or FM is lost or broken?
In most cases, the equipment can be replaced at no cost one time during the first three years after fitting or up until the child is five years old, whichever comes first. Check with your audiologist to determine what is covered for your child’s equipment and when insurance may be needed. There are no additional charges from your dispensing clinic while the device is under warranty. However, you are responsible for the cost of repair/replacement after the first three years. Check your household insurance regarding coverage for the loss or damage of hearing aids and FM systems.
What about returns?
Equipment can be returned to BCEHP within the first two months. Returns or exchanges outside of that time are reviewed on an individual basis. If your child is no longer using the equipment, it should be returned to your local public health audiology clinic, where it will be used as loaner equipment for other children.
For more information about the Hearing Equipment Plan or other services provided by the BC Early Hearing Program, contact your local public health audiology clinic or the BC Early Hearing Program at www.phsa.ca/earlyhearing or (250) 519-5725.