Guide to Hearing Aid Funding

Ministry of Health Subsidy Scheme

Hearing aid subsidy scheme is available every six years once applied.

Criteria -

• Adults (over 16 years old)

  and

• New Zealand citizens living in New Zealand or permanent residents who are not covered under the hearing aid funding scheme

Funded amount -

• $511.11 (including GST) per hearing aid

• $1022.22 (including GST) for both ears 

Ministry of Health Funding scheme

Hearing aid funding scheme is available every six years once applied, and must not be eligible to gain support from Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) or Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand (VA).

Criteria -

• Have had a significant hearing loss from childhood, or

• Have hearing loss and a significant visual impairment or hearing loss and an intellectual disability or a physical disability that limits their ability to communicate safely and effectively or

• Have a Community Services Card and are:

  • in paid employment for 30 hours per week or more, or

  • a registered job seeker seeking paid employment, or

  • doing voluntary work (more than 20 hours per week), or

  • studying full time, or

  • caring full-time for a dependent person

Funded amount -

• Covers the cost of the hearing aid, but does not cover any assessment or fitting fees that an audiology service charges.

Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC)

ACC funding is available every six years and ACC provides cover for hearing loss and funding that can used to purchase hearing aids when caused by the following.

• An accident

  • Resulting from head injuries caused by accident

  • Single exposure to a significantly loud noise or explosion

• A gradual hearing loss caused by occupational noise exposure

  • Resulting from occupational noise exposure

  • The work must be based in NZ or working from abroad as a NZ resident for a NZ agency or company

• A treatment injury

  • Resulting from failure to provide treatment

  • Treatment from registered health professional caused hearing loss, which is not an ordinary consequence of the treatment

Binaural hearing loss (Hearing loss from both ears) must exceed 6 % to gain entitlement to lodge a claim to ACC.

Funded amount

• Ranges from just over $3000 to just under $5000

  • For more information click here

Veterans’ Affairs (War pensions)

Funding from Veterans’ affair is every six years.

Criteria -

• A person who served in the New Zealand Defence force prior to 1st April 1974

• Deployed in a qualifying operational service

• To see if your individual service qualifies please contact Veterans’ affair

  • 0800 483 8372

  • Case manager

  • Eligibility checker from VA’s website - here

Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ)

WINZ can provide support or loans that can be used towards getting hearing aids

Criteria -

• A person who holds a community service card or

• Receiving support from WINZ

Vincentian Foundation

Vincentian foundation provides support for seniors on low incomes throughout New Zealand

Criteria-

• Aged 65+

• Live in New Zealand

• Hold a Super Gold Card with Community Services endorsements

• Have had hearing assessed by a qualified audiologist and subsequently deemed to need a hearing aid

Funded amount

• Maximum of $600 per hearing aid

NZ Audiological Society Hearing aid Fund

NZ Audiological Society may support people in extreme financial hardship and cannot get assistance from government agencies or elsewhere.