Attention A T users. To access the menus on this page please perform the following steps. 1. Please switch auto forms mode to off. 2. Hit enter to expand a main menu option (Health, Benefits, etc). 3. To enter and activate the submenu links, hit the down arrow. You will now be able to tab or arrow up or down through the submenu options to access/activate the submenu links.

Rehabilitation and Prosthetic Services

Menu
Menu
Quick Links
Veterans Crisis Line Badge
My healthevet badge
 

VHA Audiology

Audiologists are licensed healthcare professionals who care for Veterans and Service Members through the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of hearing disorders to include hearing loss, balance impairment and tinnitus. Audiologists counsel patients and families regarding good hearing health practices and advise them on appropriate management strategies.

Audiologists utilize comprehensive diagnostic audiology tests to assess the hearing of VHA audiology patients. If, upon review of these test results,  a hearing loss is determined to be present,  the Audiologist will discuss with the patient the best treatment options.  VHA Audiology has access to the most current, state of the art technologies to include:  hearing aids, personal amplifiers, assistive technologies, and cochlear implants.




Denver Logistic Center (DLC)

Telehealth Information

During the COVID-19 pandemic, VA Staff are working very hard to protect Veterans, Service Members, and their families from possible exposure to the coronavirus. This is being achieved through the implementation of social distancing policies to include the limiting of face to face visits. To support these efforts, a variety of telephone and telehealth options have been enabled to address VHA audiology patient needs from a distance. Please see the Telehealth Information section below to learn more.

Internet Protocol (IP) Captioned Telephone Service

Veteran looking at a phoneVeterans and others with hearing loss can receive free assistive technology for captioned telephone service from participating providers on their home phones, mobile phones and other communication apps. Real-time transcriptions of communication are a vital service for those who rely on their phones to stay connected with family and friends, and to communicate with health care professionals and emergency responders.

Captioned telephone service enables people with hearing loss to speak during a phone call and then read the other person’s response in real time as transcriptions appear directly on their telephone or an app. This service is known as Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS), and it uses a combination of automatic speech recognition (ASR) technology and skilled transcribers, or ASR technology.

Learn more about Internet Protocol (IP) Captioned Telephone Service from the FCC

Learn more about how Veterans can get free technology services to stay connected

Enterprise Remote Tuning of Hearing Instruments (ERTHI)

VHA Audiology in a collaborative effort with Patient Care Services, VHA Audiology and Speech Pathology Services; Office of Connected Care; VHA Innovation Ecosystem; VHA Office of Information Security; VHA Office of Information and Technology and VHA Account Management Office recently deployed Enterprise Remote Tuning of Hearing Instruments (ERTHI).  ERTHI provides VHA staff the ability to remote tune hearing instruments for our Nation’s Veterans.  This allows for easy access and follow-up services in their home or the most convenient and accessible location. ERTHI is now available to Veterans through the ERTHI which was implemented across the VA healthcare network as a COVID-19 Emergency response, to keep Veterans and VHA Audiologist from having to go to the hospitals when conducting remote tuning of hearing instruments for Veterans.

Key advances include:

  • Increasing Veterans’ access to care by enabling remote access to VA hearing aid services from the Veteran’s home via smartphone or tablet
  • Reducing inconvenience and costs related to medical travel

At appointment time, patients use a free app on their smartphone to virtually connect with their audiologist via secure voice, text or video chat. Because the patient’s phone is linked to his/her hearing aids via Bluetooth® technology, the audiologist gains direct access to all hearing aid settings via the smartphone. This allows Veterans to receive on-the-spot tuning and program changes, counseling and more in real-time while remaining safely at home.  Contact your local VA Audiologist for more information and to get setup.

VHA Cochlear Implant Centers

View our excel spreadsheet of VHA Cochlear Implant sites.

Our facilities are separated into three categories of services.

  • Cochlear Implant Centers - Provide full service of surgery and programming.
  • Programming Only Centers - Partner with Cochlear Implant Center for surgery and provide cochlear implant follow-up programming closer to Veteran’s home. 
  • Clinical Video Telehealth (CVT) Centers - Enables Veterans to work with an audiologist at a VA facility and connect with a Cochlear Implant expert via video for programming.

Contact Information

Email inquiries to the VA Audiology Service can be sent to: vhaaspsprogramoffice@va.gov.

Vendor Resources

To assist with patient at home hearing aid and accessory maintenance, the Vendor Resources section below has been added. These links provide instructions through pamphlets and videos for hearing aid care and maintenance.

Oticon

Phonak

ReSound

Signia


Starkey