,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #cejh  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,november #ae1 #bjac 
,mr4 ,duffy 7for himself and ,mr4 ,walz7
 introduced the following bill2 which   
was referred to the ,committee on       
,veterans' ,affairs  ,a ,,bill  ,to     
amend title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 
to clarify the qualifications of hearing
 aid specialists of the ,veterans       
,health ,administration of the          
,department of ,veterans ,affairs1 and  
for other purposes4  #a4 ,appointment of
 hearing aid specialists to ,veterans   
,health ,administration  7a7 ,hearing   
aid specialists  7#a7 ,appointment      
,section #gdja7c7 of title #ch1 ,united 
,states ,code1 is amended by inserting  
hearing aid specialists1 after          
,audiologists14  7#b7 ,qualifications   
,section #gdjb7;b7 of such title is     
amended--  7,a7 by redesignating        
paragraph 7#ad7 as paragraph 7#ae72 and 
7,b7 by inserting after paragraph 7#ac7 
the following new paragraph 7#ad73      

7#ad7 ,hearing aid specialist ,to be    
eligible to be appointed to a hearing   
aid specialist position1 a person must--
  7,a7 hold an associate's degree in    
hearing instrument sciences1 or its     
equivalent1 from a college or university
 approved by the ,secretary1 or have    
successfully completed a hearing aid    
specialist apprenticeship program       
approved by the ,secretary2 and  7,b7 be
 licensed as a hearing aid specialist1  
or its equivalent1 in a ,state4  4  7b7 
,treatment of certain current           
specialists  7#a7 ,in general ,a hearing
 aid specialist described in paragraph  
7#b7 shall be deemed to be eligible for 
appointment to a hearing aid specialist 
position under sections #gdja7c7 and    
#gdjb7;b77#ad7 of title #ch1 ,united    
,states ,code1 as amended by subsection 
7a74  7#b7 ,hearing aid specialist      
described ,a hearing aid specialist     
described in this paragraph is a hearing
 aid specialist who--  7,a7 is not      
covered under section #gdjb7;b77#ad7 of 

title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 as    
amended by subsection 7a72 and  7,b7    
during the two-year period ending on the
 date of the enactment of this ,act--   
7i7 held an unrevoked1 unsuspended      
hearing aid license1 or its equivalent1 
in a ,state2 and  7ii7 worked as a      
licensed hearing aid specialist in a    
,state4  7c7 ,annual report required    
7#a7 ,in general ,not later than one    
year after the date of the enactment of 
this ,act1 and each year thereafter1 the
 ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall 
submit to ,congress a report on the     
following3  7,a7 ,timely access to      
hearing health services4  7,b7          
,contracting policies with respect to   
providing hearing health services in    
non-,department facilities4  7#b7       
,timely access ,with respect to the     
matters under paragraph 7#a77;,a71 the  
report shall include the following3     
7,a7 ,the staffing levels1 as of the    
date of the report1 of audiologists1    
health technicians in audiology1 and    

hearing aid specialists in the ,veterans
 ,health ,administration4  7,b7 ,a      
description of how the ,secretary       
measures performance with respect to    
appointments and care relating to       
hearing health4  7,c7 ,the average time1
 as of the date of the report1 that a   
patient waits to receive an appointment1
 beginning on the date on which the     
patient makes the request1 for--  7i7 a 
disability rating evaluation2  7ii7 a   
primary hearing aid evaluation and      
ordering of hearing aids2  7iii7        
dispensing of hearing aids2 and  7iv7   
any follow-up hearing health            
appointment4  7,d7 ,the percentage of   
patients whose total wait time described
 in subparagraph 7,c7 for both an       
initial and follow-up appointment is--  
7i7 less than #ae days2  7ii7 between   
#ae days and #bh days2  7iii7 between   
#bi days and #db days2  7iv7 between #dc
 days and #ef days2 or  7v7 exceeds #ef 
days4  7#c7 ,contracting policies ,with 
respect to the matters under paragraph  

7#a77;,b71 the report shall include the 
following3  7,a7 ,the number of patients
 that the ,secretary refers to          
non-,department audiologists for initial
 hearing health diagnosis appointments4 
7,b7 ,the number of patients described  
in subparagraph 7,a7 whom the ,secretary
 refers to non-,department hearing aid  
specialists for follow-up hearing health
 care as described in paragraph         
7#b77;,c74  7,c7 ,the policies of the   
,veterans ,health ,administration       
regarding the referral of patients to   
non-,department hearing aid specialists 
and how such policies will be applied   
under the ,patient-,centered ,community 
,care ,initiative4  7d7 ,updated        
handbook ,not later than #ahj days after
 the date of the enactment of this ,act1
 the ,secretary shall update and reissue
 the handbook of the ,veteran ,health   
,administration numbered #aagj4jb and   
titled ,,vha ,audiology and             
,speech-,language ,pathology ,services  
to reflect the requirements made by this

 section or the amendments under this   
section4