Alaska Licensing Requirements for Hearing Aid Dispensers

The profession of hearing aid dispenser is regulated at the state level and each state maintains its own standards for licensure or registration.

Initial Licensure Requirements

• Be 18 years of age or older
• Have a high school diploma or the equivalent
• Have a business license
• Furnish evidence satisfactory to the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development that the applicant has not engaged in conduct that is a ground for imposing disciplinary sanctions
• Submit with the application a statement disclosing whether the applicant:
• has, during the five-year period immediately preceding the date of the application been convicted of a felony, or had a final judgment entered against the applicant in a civil action, if the felony or civil action involved fraud, embezzlement, or misappropriation of property
• is subject to an injunctive order that is currently in effect from a pending proceeding or action brought by a public agency
• is a defendant in a pending criminal or civil action relating to fraud, embezzlement, misappropriation of property, or the antitrust or trade regulation laws of the United States or a state
• has, during the five-year period immediately preceding the date of application, been reorganized, had a debt adjustment, or has been adjudicated a bankrupt under bankruptcy proceedings due to insolvency or was a principal executive officer or general partner of a business that has been reorganized, had a debt adjustment, or has been adjudicated a bankrupt due to insolvency during the five-year period
• File with the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development a surety bond in the amount of $5,000 running to the state and conditioned on the applicant's promise to pay all taxes and contributions due the state and political subdivisions of the state and amounts that may be adjudged against the applicant by reason of negligently or improperly dealing in hearing aids or breaching a contract when dealing in hearing aids

Reciprocity

Licensing reciprocity is not addressed in the law/regulations. However, the state has no examination requirement for licensure.

Continuing Education

There are no requirements for continuing education in the law/regulations.

Audiologist Dispensing

Audiologists may dispense under an audiology license, but must comply with certain consumer practices.

Board Composition

The Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development makes final licensing decisions and takes disciplinary actions against people who violate licensing laws.

Facilities, Procedures and Instrumentation

• A hearing aid dealer may take threshold measurements to determine the need for a hearing aid, but may not perform diagnostic procedures to determine the cause of a hearing impairment or charge a fee for a hearing measurement.
• A hearing aid dealer must maintain in conformity with the standards set by the American National Standard Institute the calibration of each audiometer used by the hearing aid dispenser, and must keep a record of the results of the annual calibration of each audiometer used by the dealer.

Trial Period

30 days from date of delivery

Mail Order

If a hearing aid dealer mails a hearing aid to a customer, the dealer must send the hearing aid by certified mail.

Resources

The information contained herein is collected and summarized annually. For detailed information on hearing aid dispenser requirements, contact the state board and visit these websites:

Hearing Aid Dealers Statute [PDF]

Regulation of Hearing Aid Dealers

Questions regarding state advocacy issues? Call ASHA at 800-498-2071 and ask for the State Advocacy Team.