For Australian readers
The Australian Government's Hearing Services Program pays for hearing tests, hearing aids and follow-up support for people who qualify. This page covers who qualifies, what the voucher pays for, and where practising at home fits around it. It also lists Australian groups worth knowing. SoundSteps is our app, and it is on the list.
Free, no account needed.
You need to be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, or live on Norfolk Island, and be 21 or older.
A Commonwealth Seniors Health Card does not count. One of these does:
You or your spouse hold a Pensioner Concession Card
You or your spouse hold a Veteran Gold Card, or a White Card for hearing
You are a member of the Australian Defence Force
An Inclusive Employment Australia provider has referred you
A voucher lasts five years. It covers a hearing assessment, a hearing aid fitting if you need one, a follow-up appointment and a yearly review. You get one assessment and one fitting every five years, unless things change.
At the fitting, your provider shows you how to use your hearing aid and explains that getting used to it takes time. At the follow-up they adjust the settings. For batteries and repairs, you can sign a maintenance agreement for a small yearly fee. Ask which hearing aids are fully subsidised before you choose.
Adults 21 and over usually qualify through a Pensioner Concession Card or a Veteran Gold or White Card. A Commonwealth Seniors Health Card does not count.
If you were fitted with a fully subsidised hearing aid for the first time, you may qualify for extra rehab support. Your provider makes a plan with you. It is either two group sessions with other people who have hearing loss, or one appointment on your own. Family and friends can come too.
Those sessions teach you ways to handle the places where you struggle to hear. Practice at home is for the other days. A few minutes of listening, most days, gives you something to do between appointments and something to talk about at the next one.
The program does not pay for ear wax removal, tinnitus or balance problems. Ask your provider about costs before those appointments.
Hearing Australia runs a second part of the program. It is for younger people, many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and adults who qualify for a voucher and need specialist services. Having a cochlear implant counts as a specialist need.
For eligible clients, Hearing Australia pays for sound processor repairs and replacement parts, and offers communication training for adults. Processor upgrades are only for eligible clients under 26. Hearing Australia does not do cochlear implant assessments or surgery. That happens at a cochlear implant clinic.
Switch-on comes once the wound has healed. Healthdirect puts that anywhere from a day to six weeks after surgery. An audiologist then adjusts your settings over several sessions.
The two government pages are the source for everything above. The groups below are run for people with hearing loss, mostly by volunteers.
Who can get a voucherHearing Services Program
The eligibility rules in full, with a link to the online checker and the program's phone line.
What the voucher coversHearing Services Program
Fitting, follow-up, maintenance agreements, extra rehab, and what the program leaves out.
Cochlear implanthealthdirect
The government health service's plain guide to who a cochlear implant can help and what happens after surgery.
Cochlear implant servicesHearing Australia
Sound processor repairs and parts for eligible clients, and communication training for adults.
CICADA AustraliaCochlear Implant Club and Advisory Association
A volunteer-run charity for cochlear implant users, with pages for the groups in each state and territory.
Group training programsBetter Hearing Australia, Brisbane
Lipreading courses, hearing loss management and communication classes for adults in Queensland.
ClassesBetter Hearing WA
Lipreading classes and group sessions on living with hearing loss, in WA.
SoundStepsour app
Short daily listening practice with Australian voices, in a browser or on a phone. Free to start.
SoundSteps is ours, so read this part knowing that. It starts with pairs of words that differ by one sound, like ship and chip. Then it moves on to sentences, short stories and conversations. You can add background noise when you are ready.
People get better at the voices they practise with, so you can pick an Australian voice, Matilda or Charlie, in Settings. There is a free version, and your first 7 days include everything, with no card needed. Use it whatever hearing device you wear, or none.
Tell your hearing provider or clinic what you are using, so it fits around their plan.
FAQ
Australian citizens and permanent residents aged 21 or over who hold a Pensioner Concession Card, a Veteran Gold Card or a White Card for hearing, or whose spouse does. Australian Defence Force members and people referred by an Inclusive Employment Australia provider qualify too. A Commonwealth Seniors Health Card does not.
A hearing assessment, a hearing aid fitting if you need one, a follow-up appointment and a yearly review. You can add a maintenance agreement for batteries and repairs for a small yearly fee. Ear wax removal, tinnitus and balance problems are not covered.
It can. If you are fitted with a fully subsidised hearing aid for the first time, you may get extra rehab support. That is either two group sessions or a one-on-one appointment with your provider, and family can join in.
In part. For eligible clients, Hearing Australia pays for sound processor repairs and replacement parts, and upgrades for clients under 26. Hearing Australia does not do the assessment or surgery. That happens at a cochlear implant clinic.
Yes. The program pays for your appointments, and the days in between are yours. SoundSteps, our app, has Australian voices and a free version that runs in a browser. Your provider can tell you what else suits you.
Related reading
The free listening check runs in your browser, with nothing to install and no card. You can switch to an Australian voice in Settings any time.
Free, no account needed.
