ACC
ACC provides range of services and this includes support for hearing loss caused by
Exposure to occupational noise
The noise exposure must be from the work place, and cannot include non-work related
Accidents
Hearing loss resulted from head injuries resulted from accident.
Hearing loss from exposure to single extremely loud noise or explosion
Treatment injury
Hearing loss caused from
failure to provide treatment
treatment from a registered professional that caused hearing loss that is not necessary part or ordinary consequence of the treatment
Focus Hearing is ACC accredited provider and are able to assist with any ACC related services and queries.
Here are the information related to ACC process and the services they provide.
ACC Process
In order to be eligible for ACC funding process your hearing loss must be exceed 6% or more. However, this does not apply to the people who lodged the claim before July 2010.
Here are the step by step guides to ACC claim process. The process can start with your GP or Audiologist, but visiting us can give you more clear picture on whether you will be eligible or not.
Visit your local audiologist for a free or full hearing test to find out the degree of hearing loss. This process should take about 20-30 minutes. To make an appointment please click here or call 09 533 6463.
Visit your GP to lodge a claim to ACC. You will need to submit the audiogram (hearing test result sheet) to prove there is enough hearing loss to make a claim.
Complete the questionnaire form. Once the claim is accepted from ACC, they will send you a questionnaire form to be completed with in 14 days. We can attach the hearing test results, if we conducted a full hearing test initially.
They will send you a couple of reminders, and close the case if it is delayed too long.
Conduct a full hearing test with ACC registered audiologist. In receipt of the questionnair, ACC will request for a full hearing test, if it was not conducted at the initial part of the process.
Meet Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist organised by ACC. ACC will organise an appointment with ENT for a report detailing employment and family history, and past ear pathologies. This report will help ACC to determine if your hearing loss is caused from the aforementioned three possible causes.
Decision from ACC. Based on the reports from an audiologist and ENT ACC will decided if you will be accepted or not.
If accepted, you can make an appointment with us here or contact us on 09 533 6463 for a further discussion on hearing aids.
We have ACC fully funded hearing aids as well as other options to suit your needs. Click here for more information on the latest technology hearing aids.
If not accepted, we can still look at different funding options, such as Enable, WINZ or payment plan like direct debit or Qcard to help you improve your hearing. To find out more about other funding please click here, or to make an appointment with us please click here or contact us on 09 533 6463.
ACC funding bands
There are total of 4 bands and the funding amount can be different whether it is going to be monoaural or binaural fitting, which means one or two hearing aid respectively.
The bands you qualify gets determined by ACC
Monoaural/Single hearing aid (All prices include GST)
| Bands | Fitting Fee | ACC contribution | MoH contribution | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 1 | $938.40 | $526.70 | $408.25 | $1873.35 |
| Band 2 | $938.40 | $1053.40 | $255.30 | $2247.10 |
| Band 3 | $938.40 | $1756.05 | $77.05 | $2770.35 |
| Band 4 | $938.40 | $1833.10 | $0 | $2771.50 |
Binaural/two hearing aids (All prices include GST)
| Bands | Fitting Fee | ACC contribution | MoH contribution | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band 1 | $1288 | $1053.40 | $816.50 | $3157.90 |
| Band 2 | $1288 | $2106.80 | $510.60 | $3905.40 |
| Band 3 | $1288 | $3051.85 | $152.95 | $4951.90 |
| Band 4 | $1288 | $3663.90 | $0 | $4951.90 |
ACC hearing aid batteries
ACC provides hearing aid batteries, this includes the stand battery as well as rechargeable battery, but excludes Lithium Ion battery.
Once the hearing aid fitting is finalised the battery information gets provided to ACC by your Audiologist.
When you need more batteries or make changes to your battery, you can contact ACC by:
Online - www.icanhear.co.nz
They will ask for your ACC claim number and Date of Birth
Call ACC - 0508 222 546
ACC Hearing aid repairs
Once the hearing aid’s warranty ends, which can be different depending on the manufacturer, ACC provides support for hearing aid repair cost up to $234.09. This amount is for one or two hearing aids and renews every 2 years.
ACC Hearing aid replacement
ACC funding renews every 6 years.
The process is simpler than the initial claim, and it needs to be lodged by an audiologist.
The appointment is paid for by ACC, so there is no cost associated with the required hearing test and the application.