# Hearing Aid coverage at 65yrs?



## RedRose

Anyone know what the gov't refunds are? 
I am 63yrs so wondered if I would benefit by waiting till 65yrs?
Or, are they the same...


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## stardancer

For Ontario:
OHIP does not cover hearing aids or hearing tests, no matter what your age is. If you have a private plan, check with that coverage.

When you turn 65 and need to buy hearing aids, you can get up to 75% of the cost of the aids paid by ADP (Assitive Devices Program) and you pay the rest; your private plan may or may not cover the balance. Your provider will know all the rules and will apply on your behalf.


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## MoneyGal

I'm virtually certain that ADP pays a flat amount for hearing aids (not a percentage) & there is no age requirement. Either you qualify for the grant based on need (not age or income), or you don't.

Editing to add a link and comment: http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/pub/adp/hearaid.html

That's the ADP fact sheet. Ontario pays 75% up to a maximum - so I was not right on that point.


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## RedRose

Thank YOU for your prompt responses.
I do have private ins coverage for $300 off just for the next month.

Thank you again,


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## OhGreatGuru

I have looked at the Ontario site, and it seems impossible to determine, ahead of time, if you might qualify. All they tell you is "eligibility is based on established policies". I had the same experience (on my Dad's behalf) with Veteran's Affairs. All their literature and web information implies any vet is automatically elegible for all kinds of supplementary health care coverage, but when you actually talk to a live person you find out it's income based. (I'm not complaining about about the fact that it is income based, but they could be a little more forthright in their advertising)


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## MoneyGal

VA and the ADP program in Ontario are very different. I have an assistive device (not a hearing aid) and I am very familiar with the assistive devices program in Ontario. (There are apparently 8,000 assistive devices covered by the ADP in Ontario.) 

The way the program works is that you cannot, indeed, tell from a website whether you or a family member qualifies for financial assistance. Instead, you can find a practitioner certified by the Ontario government to assess conditions for assistance. If you qualify, based on an assessment according to criteria set out in the ADP guidelines by someone certified under those same guidelines, you are eligible for the grant - end of story. Doesn't matter how old you are, or what your income is. 

It isn't supplementary health coverage, and it is not part of OHIP. The ADP program provides financial assistance to Ontarians who require physical equipment (wheelchairs, hearing aids, motorized scooters, etc.) to assist with a long-term disability. You aren't prevented from getting this equipment (such as a hearing aid) if you do not qualify - you just won't be eligible for the grant. Also, people are often approved for one form of equipment but want to upgrade to a "better" form - not covered. But no Ontarian need go without lifesaving medical equipment or equipment -- at the most basic level -- to help with a disabling medical condition due to lack of funds.


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