Pennsylvania 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
Reciprocity
Whenever the department determines that another state or jurisdiction has requirements equivalent to or higher than those in effect pursuant to this act and that such state or jurisdiction has a program equivalent to or stricter than the program for determining whether applicants to this act are qualified as a hearing aid dealer or fitter, the secretary may issue certificates of endorsement to applicants who hold current, unsuspended and unrevoked certificates or licenses to sell or fit and sell hearing aids in such other state or jurisdiction.
Continuing Education
The continuing education requirement for renewal of a hearing aid fitter's registration certificate is 20 hours of continuing education credit in the 2 years.
Audiologist Dispensing
Audiologists who dispense hearing aids must obtain an hearing aid dispensers license.
Board Composition
The Advisory Council shall consist of eight individuals appointed by the Governor, three of whom shall be hearing aid fitters registered under this act with at least three years experience in the Commonwealth, one of whom shall be a hearing aid dealer registered under this act with at least three years experience in the Commonwealth. The remaining four shall consist of a physician certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology specializing in disorders of the ear, an audiologist, and two public members who shall represent the interest of the general public.
Facilities, Procedures and Instrumentation
All test instruments shall be calibrated once each year or more often if necessary to meet current American National Standards Institute standards for pure tone and speech audiometry as identified by A.N.S.I.
Hearing aid dealer must:
- Have an appropriate test area, the ambient noise level of which shall have a documented readout of 55 dB or lower on the A scale of a sound level meter.
- Perform air conduction tests for hearing level thresholds at frequencies of 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1,000 Hz, 2,000 Hz, 4,000 Hz and 6,000 Hz or 8,000 Hz, with masking if necessary.
- Perform bone conduction tests for hearing level thresholds at frequencies of 500 Hz, 1,000 Hz, 2,000 Hz and 4,000 Hz, with masking if necessary.
- Perform a speech reception or speech awareness threshold test using an electronic speech audiometer with head or insert ear phones.
- Perform a word discrimination or other speech intelligibility test for conversational level speech using an electronic speech audiometer with head or insert ear phones.
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 this website:
Hearing Aid Registration Program Laws and Regulations
Questions regarding this document? Call ASHA at 800-498-2071 and ask for the State Advocacy Team.