This Month in Bethesda – January 2010

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•      HLAA has made an arrangement with Knowlera Media to produce a series of videos on hearing loss. The videos will be distributed on their consumer-facing website www.monkeysee.com and to several hundred other websites as well as local television stations across the country.  The Hearing Loss Association of America will receive its own branded copies of the videos that can be used on its website and its affiliate’s websites.  All the videos will be captioned. Past board member and VP for policy, Mark Ross Ph.D., has graciously agreed to help to write the scripts for the videos to be filmed in the national office. This is a major opportunity we could not have taken advantage of without Mark’s help. The topics of the videos are:

Video 1: Understanding Hearing Loss/Who is at Risk
Video 2: Hearing Loss Symptoms
Video 3: How is Hearing Loss Diagnosed?
Video 4: Medical Treatments for Hearing Loss
Video 5: Hearing Loss Self Care/Lifestyle Changes
Video 6: Hearing Loss Prevention
Video 7: The Latest Advancements in Hearing Loss Treatment

•       Please direct member’s attention to the article in the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of Hearing Loss Magazine, Consumer Protection for Hearing Aid Purchasers.  The article discusses what, if any, laws are in place to protect us when we purchase a hearing aid and our rights as a hearing aid purchaser. State laws differ. There is a new resource – Consumer Protection for Hearing Aid Purchasers – a state by state regulations chart regarding the sales of hearing aids on the HLAA website at this link. http://www.hearingloss.org/advocacy/pdfs/ConsumerProtectionLaws_1-1-2010.pdf

Our accountant is compiling the 2009 group exemption report that we submit each year to the IRS showing Chapters that are covered under our group 501c3 exemption.  There is concern that some Chapters participating in the Walk4Hearing™ are not properly registered with the IRS as to their tax-exempt status (either exempt as part of our group umbrella or exempt on their own).  We are going through the list of participating Chapters to see if we need to approach any Chapters to make sure they are registered under our group exemption number.

The Roles and Responsibilities document has been sent out to all walks sites that have expressed interest in holding a walk in 2010. This document is the agreement between the National office and the volunteers that spells out the responsibilities and expectations of each and is signed by both parties.

We have developed a Q&A on “What is an Alliance Group” so that other organizations can have a clear idea of how alliance group arrangements work before they sign up. The walk website for 2010 is up and running – “walking?” Please take a look at the new clean design, featured walkers and all the information available when you click on the tabs at the top and bottom of the walk home page www.walk4hearing.org.
The final accounting of the fall walks has taken place and checks have been disbursed to walk sites that participated. We apologize for the lateness of the checks but this is still the result of the server crash and being so backed up with data and accounting entries. Please give our sincere apologies to anyone who complains about this

•    The Hearing Journal is the leading trade journal in the hearing industry, reaching more than 22,000 hearing healthcare professionals. David H. Kirkwood, Editor in Chief, continues to be a true friend of HLAA.  Here is an excerpt from the January 2010 issue written by David.  

Good Causes to Support
“While the torrent of requests for donations that we all received in the closing weeks of 2009 has slowed to a trickle, I'd still like to single out three good causes close to the hearts of those in the hearing care community. And, best of all, we can provide valuable support to them without tapping into our tapped-out bank accounts.

“A year-end appeal from the Hearing Loss Association of America (which some of us still remember as Self Help for Hard of Hearing People-SHHH) reminded me that this admirable organization recently turned 30 years old. The association provides support, information, and fellowship to tens of thousands of hearing-impaired members and their families in about 200 chapters nationwide. It also effectively advocates for the interests of hard-of-hearing people, who in many cases are your patients. For example, HLAA played a significant role in persuading the Federal Communications Commission to require manufacturers to produce digital cell phones that are compatible with hearing aids.

“While HLAA can always use donations, HJ readers can help it in other ways. At the very least, audiologists and hearing instrument specialists should let all their patients know there's an organization that exists to help people cope better with hearing loss. Tell patients where the nearest chapter is and how to contact it.
“As practitioners, you can also share your expertise with the local chapter by speaking at a meeting or providing advice on hearing aids, hearing assistance technology or strategies for coping with hearing loss.”

•    Healthy People 2020:  Hearing Loss Association of America has submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)’s Healthy People 2020. This is a statement of national health objectives designed to identify the most significant preventable threats to health and to establish national goals to reduce these threats. Healthy People 2020 will reflect assessments of major risks to health and wellness, changing public and emerging issues related to our nation's health preparedness and prevention.
Our comments and suggested changes/additions to the stated objectives provide input on a range of issues from those related to hearing health care to issues related to disability issues and access to health services. Comments of all who provided input can be read by going to the Healthy People 2020 website http://www.healthypeople.gov/hp2020/default.asp or see our comments and proposed objectives on the HLAA website homepage under announcements.

•    The presidents of Hearing Loss Association of America and the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association have each signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance collaboration between both organizations.  In addition to shared purposes both organizations agree to accept the following provisions:
1. CHHA will provide a complimentary annual membership to the HLAA President and to the HLAA Executive Director, which memberships include a gratuitous subscription to Listen/Écoute magazine.
2. HLAA will provide one complimentary subscription to the CHHA President and another to the CHHA National Executive Director to Hearing Loss the official magazine of HLAA and/or complimentary membership.
3.  The websites of both organizations will contain a link to the website of the other organization.
4.  The President of the Board of Directors or The National Executive Director of each organization, or their selected delegates, will be invited as guests to attend the annual conference of the other organization.  The registration fees will be paid for by the host organization

•    We attended a meeting at the White House with Mark Perriello, Director of Priority Placement, Jonathan McBride, Deputy Director for Presidential Personnel and Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the President. The purpose of the meeting was to learn more about the presidential appointment process and to discuss ways that we can work to increase the number of people with disabilities, and specifically people with hearing loss, hired into administration  positions both high level and staff. If you know of people who have applied to work in the administration, or would like to, please send me their information. People with hearing loss who are qualified are encouraged to apply on www.whitehouse.gov. They should include their resume, letters of reference and as much detail about their skills and experience as possible.

•    The webinar on veteran’s benefits held this month was very successful. The next webinar guest will be Carissa Moeggenberg, M.A., CCC-A. The topic is "Sharpening Your Listening Skills with Hearing Aids or Cochlear Implants" It will be on February 25, 2010 at 9 PM (EST). All webinars are captioned. Please spread the word about them. Our plan is to use the Webinars to train the walk site administrators, and have leadership trainings for Chapter and State leaders.

This Month in Bethesda - December 2009

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•    We are researching federal and state reporting requirements for 501c3 organizations and hope to have a web chat on this topic for Chapter leaders. We are also looking into software packages that can enable us to do our web chats more efficiently using voice and captioning in addition to just text. This could be used for Chapter and State leader trainings as well as talks   moderated by experts from various fields.

•      A new walk administrative assistant has been hired to assist Ronnie Adler, National Walk4Hearing Manager. She will start on January 11, 2010. Her name is Rebecca Lander.

•      Williams Sound, an assistive device company, has joined HLAA as a corporate member. We have placed a link from our web page to their program of discounted devices for veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).
   We also met with representatives from Hamilton CapTel relay service to discuss ways to increase awareness about relay services and in particular, CapTel among hearing health professionals.

•    HLAA sent a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi requesting that when the House and Senate conference committee begins work on combining the health care bill, they work to ensure that the existing House language related to coverage of hearing services and devices for children under 21 is included in the final bill that goes to the president. We also requesting that coverage be expanded to all ages.

•   HLAA signed on to letter to the Senate with other consumer and hearing health professional organizations opposing the proposed medical device tax that would add sales tax on hearing aids. The text of letter follows:
“The hearing health community is supportive of well-structured legislation that increases access to hearing aids for people with hearing loss and parents of children with hearing loss.  We are concerned, however, that the medical device tax proposal in health care reform legislation adopted by the House of Representatives on November 7 would actually work against this goal by applying a 2.5% tax on hearing aid sales. 

“We are not in support of efforts to tax medical devices and therefore were relieved to note that the merged Senate Finance Committee (SFC) and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. The SFC/HELP Committee proposal under consideration by the full Senate would exclude medical devices from the tax based on their FDA classification. Class I devices (including hearing aids) are exempted along with Class II devices that retail for under $100.  The House legislation, however, bases exemptions on where the device is sold.  Retail sales are exempted, although the definition of “retail” is unclear. It is near certain, however, that hearing aids would not be exempted under the House proposal. 

“We urge the Senate to adopt the merged SFC/HELP device tax exemption formula, and we urge Congress to avoid imposition of any tax on hearing aids when the legislation is considered in conference.  Apart from the many advantages related to using FDA device classifications to establish clear and definitive criteria to include/exclude devices from a device tax, it is especially appropriate to exclude hearing aids as Class I devices for the following reasons:

“The majority of hearing aid sales are not paid for by insurance, but are paid for by individuals as an out of pocket expense. 72% of hearing aid sales involve no third party reimbursement unlike most medical devices utilized by doctors or in hospitals. Most people with hearing loss pay for hearing aids out of pocket. Any tax will drive up costs to these people, regardless of whether they had medical insurance under previous plans or new plans created by the legislation.

“Neither proposal would greatly increase utilization of hearing aids because coverage is not mandated for adults. The House and Senate proposals include provisions which would mandate coverage of hearing aids for children; however, children 17 and under make up less than 2% of the total number of people who use hearing aids in the U.S., and 16 states already mandate some form of coverage for children. Any device tax would have the effect of increasing the cost of hearing aids as part of legislation that does not otherwise expand access to hearing aids. Therefore, neither proposal would have the effect of greatly increasing access or generating ‘windfall profits’ for hearing aid manufacturers or professionals that could make a new tax justifiable.

“We urge the Senate to adopt language in the merged SFC/HELP medical device tax proposal as it relates to exclusions from a medical device tax, and we urge Congress to adopt that provision as well in Conference.  To do otherwise would be to make hearing aids less accessible to people with hearing loss which cannot be the intention of Congress.”

•   Michigan Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow has signed on as a cosponsor for the Hearing Aid Tax Credit bill. It is possible that we will plan an event to recognize the senator in Michigan with the Hearing Industries Association and the HLAA MI state organization.

•    At a meeting in the Washington DC offices of Google, we discussed network neutrality and its relevance to Internet users with disabilities. The FCC has a proceeding proposing reestablishing basic legal safeguards to secure users freedom online.  A fundamental principle of the Internet’s design is openness – users are in control of where to go and what to do online, and broadband providers do not discriminate among lawful Internet content or applications. Some phone and cable companies want to have more control of applications and content.

•    In a conference call with the Academy of Doctors of Audiology, we explored the following ways to collaborate:
    -trade exhibit spaces at our respective conventions
    -they will share their mailing list for us to promote professional membership in HLAA
    -work together on mutual advocacy efforts such as direct access and hearing aid tax credit.

•    We attended a recognition presentation at the FCC on the occasion of its 75th year of service as the nation’s regulatory watchdog for communications in America since 1934.  Representatives from eight hard of hearing, deaf and deaf blind consumer organizations attended as well as from Gallaudet University. Telecommunications for the Deaf Inc. (TDI) presented FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski with a framed painting by Chuck Baird who is a deaf artist. The FCC was recognized for its notable contributions toward equal access to telecommunications and media for 36 million Americans with hearing loss. Items we expressed our thanks for were improved relay services, TV captioning, accessible emergency information,  electronic filing system that enabled consumers to participate in the comment proceedings, the institution of the Disability Rights Office at the FCC, hearing aid compatible wireless and cordless phones, and E 911.

•   We attended the first meeting of a committee tasked by the FCC to come up with a national emergency alert procedure that takes into account people with disabilities. This is a large committee of over 50 representatives from industry with too few consumer representatives. This needs to be addressed. The committee will operate through smaller working groups that are being set up. To learn more, visit http://www.fcc.gov/pshs/advisory/csric.