Ohio Hearing Aid Dispensing Requirements

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 at least eighteen years of age
• Be a person of good moral character
• Be free of contagious or infectious disease
• Have passed a written and practical exam

Reciprocity

• A license issued to an individual, firm, partnership, association or corporation by another state will not be honored in lieu of a license issued by the state of Ohio. However, if an individual applicant has completed an examination equal or superior to the Ohio examination, the board may waive or partially waive the examination requirements for licensure in the state of Ohio.
• An applicant who passed the international institute for hearing instruments sciences licensing examination in another state by at least the minimum passing score required in Ohio, shall be considered to have passed the written examination.
• An applicant who passed the international institute for hearing instruments sciences practical examination in another state by at least the minimum passing score required in Ohio, shall be considered to have passed the practical examination.

Continuing Education

Each person engaged in the practice of dealing in or fitting of hearing aids who holds a valid hearing aid dealer's or fitter's license shall complete each year not less than ten hours of continuing professional education approved by the board. The continuing education units must be acquired in subjects related to hearing aid fitting or audiology.

Audiologist Dispensing

Audiologists may dispense under an audiology license.

Board Composition

The hearing aid dealers and fitters licensing board consists of seven members. The governor shall appoint each member to the board with the advice and consent of the senate. Three members of the board shall be persons currently engaged in the practice of dealing in and fitting of hearing aids in the state, one member shall be an otolaryngologist, one member shall be a clinical audiologist, and two shall be public members. At least one of the public members shall be at least sixty years of age. No more than one dealer serving on the board at any time shall be franchised by or sell the products of the same hearing aid manufacturer. Each member shall be a resident of the state and, except for the public members, shall have been actively engaged in the member's respective practice or profession for at least five years immediately preceding appointment. The director of health or the director's designated representative shall be an ex officio member.

Facilities, Procedures and Instrumentation

For the purpose of dealing in or fitting of hearing aids the following test procedures performed bilaterally are considered to be appropriate:

• Puretone air threshold tests must be performed at least at two hundred fifty, five hundred, one thousand, two thousand, three thousand, four thousand, and six thousand Hertz. Bone-conduction threshold tests must be performed at least at five hundred, one thousand, two thousand, and four thousand. On clients whose bone-conduction thresholds have been previously measured, and those measures are part of the client's permanent record, new bone-conduction testing may be omitted if there has been no change in the air conduction thresholds greater than 5dB. Appropriate masking shall be used, with levels indicated on the test record, whenever necessary to obtain valid results.
• Test of tolerance includes most comfortable listening level (MCL) and uncomfortable listening level (UCL).
• Test of speech awareness or speech reception threshold, and speech understanding or speech discrimination. All such tests are to be recorded in writing, and if the examiner was unable to complete any tests because of the client's inability to perform for any reason, that inability should be clearly stated and the reasons fully noted on the test record. All testing should be done only for the purpose of dealing in or fitting of hearing aids utilizing traditional state-of-the-art procedures. Appropriate masking must be used, with levels indicated on the test record, whenever necessary to obtain valid results. Measuring instruments other than audiometers may be used under division (J) of section 4747.12 of the Revised Code, provided they are used with an audiometer either separately or together.
• The test environment should meet "American national standards institute" (ANSI) standards (SID 1996) or latest revision as adopted; otherwise, the test environment must be described on the test record as quiet, average, or noisy.
• Electroacoustic analysis and calibration of testing equipment shall be completed annually on any test equipment, which record shall be kept for two years.

Trial Period

30 days from date of delivery.

Mail Order

Mail order dispensing is not addressed in the law/regulations.

Resources

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

Hearing Aid Dealers Statute

Hearing Aid Dealers and Fitters Licensing Board Regulations

Questions regarding this document? Call ASHA at 800-498-2071 and ask for the State Advocacy Team.