skip to main contentskip to main navigation
 
State of New Jersey Deapartment of Human Services  
 
 
State of New Jersey Deapartment of Human Services
Logo: Get Covered NJ
NJ Department of Human Services Twitter page
NJ Department of Human Services Facebook page
NJ 211 Community Resource Website
New Jersey Helps
New Jersey Career Connections
May is designated Better Hearing Month
TRENTON – Free, refurbished hearing aids are now available to eligible residents through a unique collaboration among the New Jersey Department of Human Services’ (DHS) Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DDHH), Montclair State University,  and Hearing Charities of America. The Hearing Aid Project serves low-income seniors, statewide.  “All too often, because of the expense of hearing aids, people who are hard of hearing resort to equipment or gadgets “As Seen on TV’ that are not customized to their needs and may even exacerbate their problem,” said DHS Commissioner Jennifer Velez. “The Hearing Aid Project provides an affordable option for people who might otherwise have been hindered by the price.”
 
The project involves the collection of used hearing aids, reconditioning the devices and dispensing them to eligible New Jersey residents.  All hearing aid fittings are conducted by licensed audiologists who have agreed to participate in the program.

The devices are free to qualified participants but recipients will incur minimal out-of-pocket expenses for ear molds, batteries and a flat fee for repairs after the one-year warranty expires.

 “Cost should never keep someone from hearing,” said DDHH Director David Alexander, noting that the project gives much needed support to seniors who are not eligible for other sources of hearing aid assistance such as Medicaid or the Hearing Aid Assistance to the Aged and Disabled. “The Hearing Aid Project collaboration is a model for how organizations can come together to address needs in the community.”

DDHH is a division within the New Jersey Department of Human Services and is the principal state agency legislatively directed to act on behalf of all individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.  The division provides education, advocacy and direct services to eliminate barriers and to promote increased accessibility to programs, services and information routinely available to the State’s general population.

Sertoma Inc./Hearing Charities of America is a not-for-profit service organization with clubs throughout the United States and Canada with a primary focus on assisting the more than 50 million people with hearing health issues and educating the public.

Montclair State University Center for Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology provides clinical training for audiology and speech-language pathology students and serves the hearing health needs of individuals at Montclair State University and the surrounding communities.

To be eligible for the Hearing Aid Project, individuals must be at least 65 years of age, New Jersey residents and have an income not exceeding 250% of the federal poverty level - $26,130 if single or $32,037 per couple.

Additional information is available by contacting DDHH at 800-792-8339 or 609-588-2648. Application forms may be downloaded at: http://www.nj.gov/humanservices/ddhh/home/index.html or by calling the DDHH office at 609 588-2648 or 800 792-8339.

To donate a used hearing aid to the project, please send in a padded envelope, box or unlabeled prescription container to;

New Jersey Hearing Aid Project
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Montclair State University
1515 Broad Street, Bldg B
Bloomfield, NJ 07003

or

New Jersey Hearing Aid Project
Hearing Charities of America
1912 East Meyer Blvd.
Kansas City, MO 64132
 

 
OPRA - Open Public Records Act NJ Home Logo
Department: DHS Home  |  DHS Services A to Z  |  Consumers & Clients - Individuals and Families  |  Important Resources  |  Divisions & Offices  |  Commissioner & Key Staff  |  Disaster & Emergency Help & Information  |  Press Releases, Public and Legislative Affairs, & Publications  |  Providers & Stakeholders: Contracts, Legal Notices, Licensing, MedComms  |  Get Involved with DHS!  |  Notice of Non-Discrimination  |  Taglines for Language Services
Statewide: NJHome  |  Services A to Z  |  Departments/Agencies  |  FAQs
 
Copyright © State of New Jersey, 1996 -