Hearing Loss help for Pensioners and Veterans

The Australian Government has a hearing program for eligible pensioners and veteran affair card holders, which is managed by the Office of Hearing Services. The Office of Hearing Services will supply eligible pensioners and eligible veteran affairs card holders with free hearing services including hearing tests, digital hearing devices or an alternative listening device. For a small annual charge, all batteries and repairs will also be provided.

Am I eligible?

You must be an Australian Citizen or permanent resident 21 years or older and you are:

  • A Pension Concession Card Holder
  • Receiving Sickness Allowance from Centrelink
  • The holder of a Gold Repatriation Health Card issued for all conditions
  • The holder of a White Repatriation Health Card issued for conditions that include hearing loss.
  • A dependent of a person in one of the above categories
  • A member of the Australian Defence Force or
  • Undergoing a vocation rehabilitation program with the CRS Australia and you are referred by your case manager.

How to Apply

If you are eligible to apply, you can obtain an application form from Edgecliff Hearing, your doctor or you can contact the Office of Hearing Services on 1800 500 725 (phone) or 1800 500 496 (for users of TTY equipment only). You can also download an application form from www.health.gov.au/hear. If you are applying for the program for the first time, you will need to ask your doctor to complete the referral section on the application form.

Once you have filled in the application form, it needs to be posted to OHS, Canberra for approval. The approval process will take about 6 weeks. If you are eligible, you will be posted a voucher from OHS. Once you have your voucher, you are able to make an appointment with us to have a professional hearing test, free of charge. We can then make recommendations based on this test as to what your hearing needs are.

What am I entitled to?

Your hearing services voucher entitles you to a free hearing test and free hearing rehabilitation. If needed, the program can also supply you with free hearing aids or an alternative listening device.

You also have the option to “top up” which means that you can contribute towards the cost of a device that has more advanced features than that available on the standard device.

It is advisable to check with your private health fund, as some will allow you to claim a percentage of the ‘top up’ hearing aid costs.

Maintenance Agreement

Maintaining your hearing aids and buying batteries can be costly. This is why we recommend you have an annual maintenance agreement with us. For a small annual charge, we will supply your batteries, clean and service the aid and replace any worn and broken parts.


Click here to contact Edgecliff Hearing to organise a Maintenance Agreement and check up for your ears and hearing aids.