If you are deaf or hard of hearing, several programs will give you the equipment you need at no cost. The most direct source of free equipment for deaf and hard of hearing residents is your state’s Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program, which supplies specialized phones and alerting devices. Around that, workplace accommodations under the ADA, vocational rehabilitation funding, the federal iCanConnect program, Medicaid in many states, and nonprofit equipment banks cover most of the gaps. One boundary to name up front: hearing aids themselves are rarely handed out through the general free-equipment programs, though vocational rehabilitation, Medicaid in about 32 states, and specific nonprofits can pay for them.
What Kinds of Equipment Are Available for Free
Two categories of device dominate the free programs. Communication equipment includes captioned phones that display a live transcript of the caller’s words, amplified phones that boost speech volume, and text telephones (TTYs) that let you make text-based calls on a standard line. Alerting systems replace sound with light or vibration: a strobe wired to the doorbell, a bed shaker linked to an alarm clock, a vibrating pad connected to a smoke detector. Assistive listening devices such as personal amplifiers and FM systems help in classrooms, meetings, and other noisy rooms. Most state programs let you choose one primary phone and one alerting device.
State Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Programs
Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Programs (TEDPs) operate in roughly 41 states and are funded by a small surcharge on telephone bills, usually administered by a public utility commission or a designated state agency.1Telecommunication Equipment Distribution Programs Association (TEDPA). Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Programs Delaware, Idaho, and Michigan are among the states without a statewide program.
Who Qualifies
You generally need to be a state resident with a certified hearing, speech, or physical disability that keeps you from using a standard telephone effectively. A licensed professional, typically a physician or audiologist, provides written verification. Some states apply income limits tied to the federal poverty guidelines. Colorado sets the threshold at 300% of the federal poverty level; Georgia sets it at 200%.1Telecommunication Equipment Distribution Programs Association (TEDPA). Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Programs Other states impose no income test as long as the disability certification is in order.
How to Apply
Contact your state’s administering agency and request an application. You’ll submit the form along with a professional certification of your disability. Once approved, the state either loans the equipment long-term or gives it to you outright. In some states you receive a voucher and pick a device from an approved vendor list. A trainer may come to your home to install the equipment and show you how to use it.
Free Phone Calls Through Relay Services
Even without specialized equipment, you can make and receive phone calls at no charge through Telecommunications Relay Services. The FCC requires these services to be available nationwide and free to users.2Federal Communications Commission. Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) A communications assistant converts between speech, text, or sign language in real time.
- Video Relay Service (VRS) lets you sign to an interpreter on a video screen who voices your words to the hearing caller and signs their responses back.
- IP Captioned Telephone Service displays captions of the other person’s speech on your phone or computer while you listen and speak normally.
- TTY Relay uses an assistant who reads your typed messages aloud and types the spoken responses back to you.
- Speech-to-Speech Relay uses a trained assistant to re-voice your words for callers who have trouble understanding your speech.
These services work with standard phones, computers, and smartphones, so dedicated hardware isn’t required to start using them.
iCanConnect for Combined Vision and Hearing Loss
If you have both significant vision loss and significant hearing loss, the National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program, known as iCanConnect, provides free equipment for phone access, email, text messaging, video conferencing, and internet browsing. The FCC administers the program, and every state has a certified local partner.3Federal Communications Commission. National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program
Eligibility has two parts. You must have significant vision loss (visual acuity of 20/200 or worse, a visual field of 20 degrees or less, or a progressive condition heading there) and significant hearing loss so severe that most speech can’t be understood with amplification, verified in writing by a professional. Your household income cannot exceed 400% of the federal poverty guidelines.3Federal Communications Commission. National Deaf-Blind Equipment Distribution Program Provided equipment can be mainstream devices like tablets and smartphones or specialized hardware and software, and the program also covers warranties, maintenance, and repairs.
Workplace Equipment From Your Employer
If you work for a private employer with 15 or more employees, or for a state or local government, your employer must provide reasonable accommodations for your hearing disability at no cost to you. This obligation comes from Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 42 – 12112 The employer pays for the accommodation.
The EEOC’s guidance on hearing disabilities lists examples of what an employer may need to provide:5U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Hearing Disabilities in the Workplace and the Americans with Disabilities Act
- Telephone headsets compatible with hearing aids, phone amplifiers, and TTYs.
- Strobe lighting on fire alarms and vibrating pagers for emergency notifications.
- Real-time captioning (CART) for meetings, captioning features on virtual platforms, and speech recognition software.
- Videophones, laptops, or tablets for accessing video relay or video remote interpreting services.
- Workspace adjustments, such as moving your desk away from noisy areas or near visual alarm systems.
Two limits apply. Employers don’t have to provide personal-use items like hearing aids that you’d also wear off the job.5U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Hearing Disabilities in the Workplace and the Americans with Disabilities Act And an employer can decline a specific accommodation that would create undue hardship, meaning significant difficulty or expense, though in that case it must offer an alternative that meets your needs.
Vocational Rehabilitation for Job-Related Devices
If you are looking for work or need technology to keep a job, your state’s Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agency can cover the full cost of assistive devices, including higher-cost items like hearing aids. These agencies are funded by the U.S. Department of Education under the Rehabilitation Act, which authorizes services such as captioned media and telecommunications access for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.6eCFR. 34 CFR Part 361 – State Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program
Apply to your state’s VR agency and show that your hearing loss is a substantial barrier to employment. A counselor works with you to write an Individualized Plan for Employment listing the equipment and services you need. That plan can include hearing aids, assistive listening devices, real-time transcription, or specialized workplace technology. The agency pays as long as the device is tied to your employment goals.
Auxiliary Aids at Colleges and Universities
Colleges and universities that receive federal funding must provide auxiliary aids and services so that deaf and hard of hearing students can communicate as effectively as their peers, under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the ADA. The school pays, not the student. Common accommodations include sign language interpreters, real-time captioning, assistive listening devices for lecture halls, and captioned video content. Contact the disability services office early in enrollment so arrangements are in place before classes begin.
Help With Hearing Aids Through Medicaid and Nonprofits
Medicaid is one of the more reliable funding sources for hearing aids, though coverage depends on your state. Approximately 32 states cover hearing aids for adults through Medicaid. Most of those states cover both in-the-ear and behind-the-ear styles, include supplies and batteries, and allow replacement every five years. A doctor’s determination of medical necessity is usually enough for approval. Your state Medicaid office can confirm current rules.
Original Medicare is much narrower. It covers diagnostic hearing and balance exams ordered by a physician to determine whether medical treatment is needed,7Medicare.gov. Hearing and Balance Exams but it does not cover hearing aids or exams for fitting them.8Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Audiology Services Some Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans do include hearing aid benefits; check your plan’s summary of benefits if you’re enrolled.
When public programs fall short, nonprofit organizations can help. Local Lions Club chapters partner with audiologists to provide hearing aids to low-income applicants who lack insurance for them, coordinating the evaluation, fitting, and follow-up. The Starkey Hearing Foundation’s Hear Now program provides hearing aids for a $300 application fee based on income eligibility. Centers for Independent Living and local chapters of national hearing loss associations often run equipment banks stocked with refurbished amplified phones, alerting devices, and assistive listening systems, distributed free or at minimal cost. State assistive technology programs funded under the Assistive Technology Act also run device loan and demonstration centers where you can borrow equipment temporarily, either to try it out or to bridge a gap while other funding comes through.
Deducting What You Still Pay
If you end up paying for hearing aids or other assistive devices yourself, those costs are deductible as medical expenses on your federal tax return. The IRS lists hearing aids as a qualifying medical expense in Publication 502.9Internal Revenue Service. Publication 502, Medical and Dental Expenses You can deduct only the portion of your total medical expenses that exceeds 7.5% of your adjusted gross income, and you have to itemize rather than take the standard deduction.10Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 502, Medical and Dental Expenses Keep every receipt, including the audiologist’s evaluation fee and any accessories.