ASHA Advocate: May 15, 2026

The Department of Education released a draft of its final rule [PDF] related to student loans. Thanks to advocacy efforts from ASHA and its members, the Department affirmed that audiologists and SLPs are professionals in the sense that they are licensed providers practicing in their respective fields and meet the program’s operative criteria. But despite that, the Department still won’t include them—or any other fields, including nursing—as “professional degree” programs for the purpose of this initiative. ASHA Advocacy will continue advocating to protect and improve access to education for future audiologists and SLPs. Learn more and take action.Restore Telehealth Access for Medicare Beneficiaries

ASHA is supporting the Removing Excessive Cuts to Outpatient and Vital Essential Rehabilitation (RECOVER) Act (H.R. 8386), legislation proposed by ASHA and other therapy providers that would eliminate Medicare’s flawed Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction (MPPR) policy that arbitrarily and inappropriately reduces payment for essential speech-language pathology services. Learn more about ASHA’s work to terminate this unfair payment cut and read what ASHA president Linda Rosa-Lugo EdD, CCC-SLP, had to say about the bill in the sponsor’s press release. Take action today!

• Encouraging better coverage of audiology and speech-language pathology services by sending a letter of support to the sponsors of the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act (H.R. 3277/S. 1677), which would require group and individual health plans to cover medically necessary services related to the diagnosis and treatment of a congenital anomaly that primarily impacts the appearance or function of the eyes, ears, teeth, mouth, or jaw.
• Supporting robust funding for key health and education programs by signing a letter urging leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to reject the Administration’s proposed budget cuts.
• Pushing for improved access to audiology services by partnering with the Academy of Doctors of Audiology to grow congressional support for the Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act.
• Providing guidance on local coverage determination for botulinum toxin injections by sending comments on draft policy to several Medicare administrative contractors.
• Advocating for an accurate description and value of speech-language pathology services by participating in the American Medical Association’s (AMA) 2026 Common Procedural Terminology (CPT) Editorial Panel meeting. The AMA will release a public Summary of Panel Actions later this month.

Find more comments and testimony letters on ASHA's website.

Common Procedural Terminology (CPT®) codes are developed and maintained by the AMA and used by audiologists and SLPs every day. ASHA staff and volunteers represent audiologists and SLPs in this process to ensure their services are accurately described and valued. Not every stage is public or actionable, and knowing when to look out for more information can be confusing. ASHA’s resource Understanding the CPT Process: How Codes Are Created and Valued seeks to break down this process, provide transparency into ASHA’s role, and help readers understand key players.