Willing Now Able with Voc Rehab
I read “Willing but Unable to Get Hearing Aids” in Mailbag (Summer ’04) and would like to let Michelle Harvey and others like her know that if she needs hearing aids in order to work or serve as a homemaker to her family, she may qualify for vocational rehabilitation (VR) services which could include the purchase of hearing aids for her. People with hearing loss need to be aware of VR programs as a possible resource for assistance in the area of employment.
I have hearing loss and when I graduated from high school, I was unaware of the VR program and so I ended up doing unskilled labor for several years. I didn’t think I was smart enough to go to college and I underestimated my capabilities for over six years. I had a sudden drop in hearing in my better ear when I was 25 which prompted me to go to the hospital. Although no reason for the further hearing loss was found, something good came out of that visit. The hospital staff referred me to a VR agency and I contacted them right away. They not only got me hearing aids, they did a comprehensive vocational evaluation and told me that I had the ability to graduate from college if I wanted to go. The agency supported me through paying my tuition and book expenses and
I contributed by working part time and during the summer. Had I been referred to the VR agency when I got out of high school, I would have saved seven pretty miserable years of getting nowhere but into trouble.
I see VR as having saved my life. Later on, I became a VR counselor myself and did that for 12 years before moving from Oregon to the Washington, D.C. area for my present job as a VR program specialist with the U.S. Department of Education in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
I strongly urge Michelle and others to look up the contact information for the nearest VR office in their state and get an appointment to talk to a VR counselor. If she has any problems, she can contact me at george.kosovich@ed.gov.
George Kosovich
Rockville, MD
Bargain Shoppers Take Note
I recently discovered something I feel is valuable and could benefit other hearing aid users. The Powerone Implant Plus p675 battery by Varta lasted two days shy of three weeks in my hearing aid! That is unheard of for a hearing aid battery. I generally get four or five days out of batteries but this lasted 19 days - wearing my aid all day. These batteries last about three days in my implant which, of course, pulls much more power. I pay $40 for 60 batteries and if I buy them online from www.cochlear.com, the shipping is free.
Liz Thompson
Glendale, AZ
Veteran Care
I found “Troops Return with Alarming Rates of Hearing Loss” (Fall ’04) very interesting since my husband had his eardrum blown out from an explosion. He had surgery at a military hospital and now has exceptional hearing, though not as good as in the undamaged ear. Also, my father-in-law is now having his hearing loss related to active duty. He was recently diagnosed and fitted with a hearing aid.
Juli Ginn
West Plains, MO
Write to: Mailbag at Hearing Health, 8201 Greensboro Dr., 3rd Floor,
McLean, VA 22102, mailbag@hearinghealthmag.com
