The mission of Utah Children's Hearing Aid Program (CHAP) is to optimize early communication and learning potentials for deaf/hard of hearing (DHH) infants and children by providing access to hearing aids to financially eligible families. .
With the sponsorship of Representative Rebecca P. Edwards, this special law was authorized allowing the Utah Department of Health to govern administration of CHAP and provide these hearing aids to qualifying children under six years of age who have hearing loss.
All children with hearing loss should have access to resources necessary to reach their maximum potential. The goal of hearing aids is to make sound louder so that it can be heard; this allows the auditory part of the brain to grow. This brain growth has to happen before a child can use hearing to learn to understand words, to talk, and to read.
With the passage of HB 18 (2015 General Session), the program was converted from a pilot program into an ongoing appropriation within the legislature, and the age of eligibility was increased to serve qualifying children under 6 years of age. (If your child is 6 years of age and older, please see the HARP tab below).
All necessary forms can be found by clicking on the links below. PLEASE NOTE: All application forms need to be submitted to your child’s audiologist who will then apply to the program on your behalf.
For more information, please contact your pediatric audiologist or Early Hearing Detection and Intervention at (801) 273-6600, If you are in need of an audiologist possessing expertise in diagnosing hearing loss and fitting hearing aids on young children, you can go to http://www.ehdi-pals.org/ to find one in your area.
Eligibility
Qualifying children must:- be a resident of Utah
- be diagnosed as having hearing loss by an audiologist
- provide documentation from an audiologist with pediatric expertise certifying that he/she needs hearing aids
- be younger than six years old
- be ineligible to receive a hearing aid through the state’s Medicaid program
- not have insurance coverage for hearing aids
- meet the financial need qualification criteria established by the department for participation
Applicants
Application FormsAudiologists
When a family is applying, in addition to the 3 application forms (Participant Application form, Managing Audiologist form, and Financial form), please submit the following documentation::
- Medical clearance
- Audiogram with bone conduction/immittance information
- Insurance denial or copy of exclusions page
- Letter documenting that the child is receiving Part C Early Intervention services if they are under three years of age
Resources
Guide for Keeping Hearing Aids on Children
Utah Guide to Pediatric Audiologists
Hearing Aid Recycling Program (HARP)
Qualifying children must:- be a resident of Utah
- be diagnosed as having hearing loss by an audiologist with pediatric expertise
- provide documentation from an audiologist with pediatric expertise certifying that he/she needs hearing aids
- be six years of age or older
- be ineligible to receive a hearing aid through the state’s Medicaid program
- not have insurance coverage for hearing aids
- meet the financial need qualification criteria established by the department for participation in the program
Donation Information:
To make a donation to HARP, send used hearing aids and unused batteries to:
Utah EHDI Program
PO Box 144620
Salt Lake City UT 84114-4620
Or call (801) 273-6600 for a pre-stamped envelope to be mailed to you.
A receipt of your donation will be mailed to you once the donation has been processed.
Page last updated