10June2015

Hearing Services Program and the

National Disability Insurance Scheme
Fact sheet

Are audiologists practicing patient

centred care?
Studies have furthered our understanding and its application
to audiologic rehabilitation.

Tinnitus research
Tinnitus is the most common service-related disability for
veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. One in two
combat veterans report having this sometimes debilitating
condition.

Disability Employment public forums

The Australian Government will review the disability
employment system and develop a new National Disability
Employment Framework.

Hearing a National Health Priority

Deafness Forum of Australia hosted a national summit to
develop a strategy for making hearing health a National
Health Priority in Australia.

We acknowledge the traditional owners of country throughout Australia, and their

continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them
and their cultures, and to elders both past and present. We acknowledge the
challenge that faces Indigenous leaders and families to overcome the unacceptably
high levels of ear health issues among first Australians.

Are audiologists practicing patient-centred care?

One of the leading audiology researchers in the area of patient-centred care (PCC) is
Caitlin Grenness of the University of Melbourne. Her studies have furthered our
understanding of PCC and its application to audiologic rehabilitation. One particularly
revealing study by Grenness and colleagues involved a series of video-recordings of
provider-patient interactions during the history-taking phase of the consultation.
For most of the interview process, audiologists asked 97% of the questions and interrupted
the patient, on average, after 21 seconds hardly a PCC approach.
In a related study by Grenness concerning the diagnosis and management planning phase
of the clinical encounter, the researchers determined that hearing aids were recommended
an average of 83% of the time, while scant attention was paid to alternative treatment
strategies or to involving the patient or the patients communication partner in the
management planning process. The clinicians missed important opportunities to explore
the psychosocial consequences of hearing loss from the patients/companions
perspectives.
From Peeling the Onion by Harvey Abrams
http://hearinghealthmatters.org/hearingeconomics/
For a review of the literature on rehabilitative
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24447236

audiology

and

PCC

A resource for better understanding audiologic-specific PCC, to include articles, tools, and
interviews - http://idainstitute.com/toolbox/supervisor_kit/get_started/patient_centered_care

Disability Employment public forums

The Australian Government will review the disability employment system and develop a
new National Disability Employment Framework.
Have your say by attending one of the government's public forum.
Perth - 15 and 16 June
Adelaide - 17 and 18 June
Sydney - 23 June

Newcastle - 25 June
Canberra - 29 June

For more information on forums or to make a submission go

https://engage.dss.gov.au/disability-employment-framework/attend-a-public-forum/

to

A new website, Disability Loop aims to give people with disability and their families information
about the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) that is up to date, easy to find and easy
to use. www.disabilityloop.org.au
Disability Loop is different to the NDIS website because it is run by and for people with disability
and their families. It also brings together information from lots of different websites.
Disability Loop is a project run by AFDO and funded by the NDIS Sector Development Fund.

Acoustic Neuroma (Vestibular Schwannoma)

Acoustic Neuroma is a benign tumour affecting the nerves which run from the inner ear to
the brain. Acoustic neuroma has several other names including acoustic neuroma,
vestibular schwannoma, and auditory tumour. Acoustic neuroma inhibits the normal
function of the nerves responsible for hearing and balance.
Normal healthy nerves are covered by a layer of cells called Schwann cells which function
the same way that rubber or plastic coating on electrical wires work, providing insulation
and support for nerve impulses. When these cells begin to grow and multiply at an
abnormal rate, acoustic neuroma occurs.
The first symptoms of an acoustic neuroma include gradual hearing loss in one ear with
near normal hearing in the other ear, decrease in sound discrimination, especially when
talking on the telephone and ringing in the affected ear, called tinnitus.

Make Hearing Health a National Health Priority

Deafness Forum of Australia hosted a national summit for senior executives and marketing
professionals to develop a strategy for a landmark change to the way hearing issues are
perceived and addressed in Australia.

Summit participants included representatives of Australian Federation of Deaf Societies,

Deaf Services Queensland. Hear and Say, National Acoustic Laboratories, Widex Australia,
Deaf Society of New South Wales, Australian Hearing, Ai-Media, Conexu Foundation,
Better Hearing Australia, Attune Hearing, Starkey Australia, I Hear clinics, Cochlear Ltd.
and Deafness Forum of Australia.

Professor Christie Yoshinaga Itano will present the 2015 Libby Harricks Memorial
Oration.
It will be a key-note address at the Australasian Newborn Hearing Screening Conference at
3:30pm Saturday 20 June, SMC Conference & Function Centre, 66 Goulburn Street
Sydney.
Attendance of the Oration is free, so please come but afternoon tea is only available to
people attending the full conference.
Professor Yoshinaga-Itano, from the Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Colorado
US, was the first to demonstrate that when infants with hearing loss are identified in the first
few months of life and provided with appropriate intervention services, that 80% these
infants/children with significant hearing loss and no additional disabilities are able to
maintain age-appropriate language development and intelligible speech in the first five
years of life. As a result of this research, universal newborn hearing screening programs
were implemented in the United States.
It is the 17th in the series memorial-oration

www.deafnessforum.org.au/index.php/events/libby-harricks-

Since 1999, the Libby Harricks Memorial Oration series has raised
awareness of the big issues relating to hearing impairment.
The series is in honour of Libby, the first President of Deafness Forum of
Australia.

The Hearing Services Program and the

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
What is the linkage between the Hearing Services Program and the NDIS?
As part of the introduction of the NDIS in 2013, the Australian Government agreed to
transition existing Commonwealth programmes that provide support to people with
disability to the NDIS. One of these programmes is the Hearing Services Program, which
will be transitioned in part to the NDIS by 2019-20.
Moving eligible clients of the Hearing Services Program to the NDIS will mean that they
have far more choice and control over the services they need.

What is the Hearing Services Program?

The Australian Government Hearing Services Program currently provides services to a
range of people with mild to profound hearing loss, including children and young adults,
some Indigenous Australians and aged and disability pensioners.
The Hearing Services Program is managed by the Office of Hearing Services in the
Department of Health. The program is delivered through Australian Hearing and through
other accredited private sector providers.
The program has two components: Community Service Obligations (CSO), and the

Voucher Scheme.

CSO clients receive services delivered exclusively by Australian Hearing under a

Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Health. The program funds delivery
of hearing services to clients who require specialised hearing services, including:
o children and young adults up to age 26;
o eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; and
o Voucher eligible adults with complex hearing needs.
The Voucher Scheme provides Government funding to accredited service providers to
deliver the following services to eligible clients (mainly pensioners and veterans): hearing
assessments; hearing devices; fitting services; and ongoing support.

What is the NDIS?

The NDIS is a new way for people to get disability support that takes an individualised
and life-long approach through community linkages and individualised plans. This means
rather than providing support based only on the number of services or type of hearing
devices available under the Hearing Services Program, the scheme will provide funding
so people can get the reasonable and necessary support they need, based on their
individual hearing needs, goals and aspirations. These supports may include linkages to
existing services and supports within the participants community, and/or reasonable and
necessary funded supports.
The NDIS is not means tested.
To become an NDIS participant a person must be under 65 years of age and have a

permanent disability that substantially reduces their ability to participate effectively in

activities, or perform tasks or actions without some type of support or assistance.

Office of Hearing Services

www.hearingservices.gov.au
1800 500 726
hearing@health.gov.au

 Early intervention requirements apply to children under 6 years of age with a permanent
impairment and a developmental delay.
The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is an independent statutory agency
whose role is to implement the NDIS, which will support a better life for hundreds of
thousands of Australians with a significant and permanent disability and also support their
families and carers.

When is the NDIS being rolled-out?

The NDIS is currently being trialled in seven jurisdictions: New South Wales, Victoria,
South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and the Australian
Capital Territory. Trials will continue through 2015-16.
From 2016-17 the NDIS will start to transition to full-scheme roll-out in six jurisdictions:
New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, Queensland and the Northern
Territory. The Australian Capital Territory will reach full-scheme at the end of their trial.
Transition to the full scheme is yet to be agreed in Western Australia.

When will the Hearing Services Program transition?

Hearing Services Program clients who are eligible for the NDIS will transition to the NDIS
by 2019-20.

How do I become an NDIS participant?

The NDIS has been designed to support people with a significant and permanent

disability who need assistance with every day activities.

People can become participants in the NDIS (as the trial sites roll out) if they meet either
the disability or early intervention requirements.
Current clients of the Hearing Services Program can test their eligibility for the NDIS with
the NDIA if the NDIS has rolled out in their location and they meet relevant age criteria.
Your hearing services provider may be able to assist you to transition to the NDIS.
People who are not currently clients of the Hearing Services Program can independently
contact the NDIA to test their eligibility for the NDIS.

Will Voucher clients who are not eligible for the NDIS because they are 65
years or older still be able to access hearing services?
The majority of people who receive a voucher from the Office of Hearing Services are
over 65 years of age and are therefore unlikely to be eligible for the NDIS. Voucher clients
who are not eligible for the NDIS will continue to receive services through the Hearing
Services Program in the usual way, now and in the future.

What will happen to CSO clients who do not qualify for the NDIS?
CSO clients who are ineligible for the NDIS will not lose access to funded hearing
services. A review of the current Hearing Services Program arrangements will ensure that
existing CSO clients continue to receive services in the future.

What happens if I become an NDIS participant before 2019-20?

NDIS participants will continue to have access to the Hearing Services Program at their
current level of support for as long as they remain eligible for hearing supports.

Office of Hearing Services

www.hearingservices.gov.au
1800 500 726
hearing@health.gov.au

 If you have been issued a voucher, you can continue to access services through your
usual hearing service provider. Your provider will claim funding from the Office of Hearing
Services in the usual way.
If you are a CSO client, you can continue to access services through Australian Hearing.
As an NDIS participant, you may be able to access other NDIS supports if they are
considered reasonable and necessary, including additional supports offered by registered
NDIS hearing service providers.

What happens if I am a CSO or Voucher client less than 65 years of age but
dont live in a NDIS trial site?
You will continue to receive hearing services through the Hearing Services Program for as
long as you are eligible for that program.
If you are unsure whether you live in an NDIS trial site contact the NDIA on 1800 800 110.
By 2019-20 the NDIS will be a national scheme.

What happens if I am a service provider under the Hearing Services

Program?
If you are a provider under the Voucher Scheme of the Hearing Services Program, you
can lodge claims for payments for NDIS participants who are also voucher holders
through your current claiming process for the supports delivered to clients of the Hearing
Services Program. You can also register with the NDIS to provide additional supports to
participants in the trial sites.
In NDIS sites, Australian Hearing will continue to be funded under the Hearing Services
Program to deliver support to CSO clients, including CSO clients who are also NDIS
participants.
Outside of NDIS trial sites, current funding and delivery arrangements will continue

unchanged.

What happens to the Hearing Services Program during the NDIS trial period
and while the NDIS rolls out nationally?
The Hearing Services Program will continue to fund services during the NDIS trials and
transition to full national coverage. A transition plan will be developed to support eligible
NDIS participants and applicable funding to transfer to the NDIS by 2019-20.
Stakeholders will have an opportunity to provide input to the transition plan.

Will stakeholders be consulted on the transition plan?

The transition plan will be developed in consultation with key stakeholder groups,

including hearing loss advocacy and disability groups and professional hearing

practitioner bodies, in 2015.

What happens when the NDIS reaches full national roll out?
By 2019-20, when the NDIS is fully rolled out, a significant portion of existing CSO clients
will have transferred to the NDIS at which time clients will have a choice of service
provider. Government funding for people aged 0 to 65 years who require support to
manage their hearing loss and meet the thresholds for NDIS participation will be
completely managed by the NDIS and the market will become fully contestable. This

Office of Hearing Services

www.hearingservices.gov.au
1800 500 726
hearing@health.gov.au

means that CSO clients will be able to choose to receive support for their hearing loss
through a range of registered service providers, including Australian Hearing.
Clients who currently receive services from Australian Hearing who transfer to the NDIS
will be able to choose whether to continue to receive those services from Australian
Hearing.
Once the NDIS is fully implemented, eligible participants will benefit from greater choice
and control over the services they receive, including their choice of service provider and
potential access to new technology.
Services providers would receive funding for NDIS participants either directly from clients
or the NDIA.

How will the NDIA ensure the quality of services provided to CSO clients?
We will be consulting with stakeholders, including the peak hearing loss and disability
advocacy groups, to prepare a transition plan. The transition plan will consider how best
to prepare the hearing services sector in a way which protects the current standards of
high quality hearing services.
The NDIA is also developing a broad national approach to quality and safeguards as part
of the NDIS.

Where can I find further information?

It is early in the transition process and further details are being developed. This fact sheet
will be updated at key stages in the consultation process.

(Date of issue: 7 May 2015)

Office of Hearing Services

www.hearingservices.gov.au
1800 500 726
hearing@health.gov.au

Captions key to better learning

ONE in every three Australian schoolchildren could be missing out at school because they
cannot clearly hear or understand videos shown in class.
Launching the national Cap That campaign, Media Access Australia CEO Alex Varley said
captions were a free and easy way to improve learning and literacy for 1.4 million students
Australia-wide. "But they are also extremely helpful for the growing number of kids with
Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD, dyslexia or other learning disabilities," Mr Varley said.
"Obviously captions are essential for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
"Reinforcing what's heard and seen with captioning helps students focus and engage with
what they are watching, which means they learn more."
Mr Varley said research showed captioning could boost literacy for all students.
Captions are now widely available and teachers and principals can download free
resources for the classroom from http://www.capthat.com.au

Review of Disability Standards for Education

The government is reviewing the current Disability Standards for Education.
The standards seek to ensure that students with disability are able to access and
participate in education on the same basis as students without disability. On the same
basis means that a student with disability must have opportunities and choices which are
comparable with those offered to students without disability.
People with disability and their families are encouraged to consider making a contribution,
as are educators and education providers.
http://dsereview.urbis.com.au/2015-review-of-the-disability-standards-for-education2005?tool=survey_tool&tool_id=upload-your-submission#tool_tab

Breakthrough in tinnitus research

Tinnitus is the most common service-related disability for veterans returning from Iraq and
Afghanistan. Often described as a ringing in the ears, one out of every two combat
veterans, report having this sometimes debilitating condition.
Tinnitus is largely a mystery, a phantom sound heard in the absence of actual sound.
Tinnitus patients "hear" ringing, buzzing or hissing in their ears much like an amputee might
"feel" pain in a missing limb. It is a symptom, not a disease, and though exposure to loud
noise may cause it, some cases have no apparent trigger.
Existing treatments are unreliable. A global research effort involving investigators from the
US, China and Canada has made a breakthrough that provides new insights into how
tinnitus, and the often co-occurring hyperacusis, a condition that causes sounds to be
perceived as intolerably loud, might develop.
The results of the study suggest the neural network responsible is more expansive than
previously thought. The findings could lead to a testable model that helps to identify what
regions of the brain might be responsible for causing the two conditions. The researchers
hope to eventually test the model by deactivating specific segments of the neural network.
By process of elimination they would learn if shutting down one part of that network relieves
tinnitus, hyperacusis or both conditions.
Until the mid-1990s, tinnitus was thought to be centred in the ear, but patients who lost their
hearing on one side after a surgical tumour removal unrelated to the condition reported still
hearing a ringing in their deaf ear.
From Science Daily, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150512152646.htm

Disability community event grants

Cultural, sporting and community groups, schools and other NGOs in Queensland have
until 15 June to apply for up to $5000 to hold an event during this years Disability Action
Week or International Day of People with Disability.
Events may promote the rights and wellbeing of people with disability; strengthen how they
may access and be included within their community; or encourage mainstream services
and the broader community to connect and engage with people with disability.
Go to https://www.communities.qld.gov.au/gateway/funding-and-grants/funding-available

The HEARing Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) received an Excellence in Innovation

Award in recognition of its HEARnet Online and HEARnet Learning website initiatives.
The websites connect the public, hearing health professionals and researchers with the
latest independent research findings and information about hearing loss, the clinical
treatment of hearing loss and available hearing technologies solutions, such as the
cochlear implant.
HEARing CRC CEO Professor Robert Cowan cited a 2015 World Health Organisation
Report that states hearing disability affects over six percent of the worlds population that
impacts on their employment, education or community engagement.
With hearing loss expected to rise in Australia due to our ageing population, its critical that
individuals can access to a highly-credible, independent website about the disability - an
information source that explains to the public, in ways that are easily understood, how
hearing loss occurs, what measures can be taken to prevent it and the variety of solutions
available to manage hearing loss, Professor Cowan explained.
HEARnet Online, www.hearnet.org.au HEARnet Learning, www.hearnetlearning.org.au
Since its launch in 2013, HEARnet Learning has become a valuable resource for Australias
peak member-based organisation for audiologists, Audiology Australia. HEARnet has also
proven valuable for training with Australian Hearing, which provides clinical services to all
children and seniors identified with hearing loss.

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Deafness Forum makes no representation or warranty about the accuracy, reliability, currency or completeness of any
third party information.
We encourage organisations to be deafness friendly. In planning meetings and events, choose venues that have reliable
hearing loops, and add real time captions and interpreters to meet the communication access needs of the 4 million
Australians we represent.