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Federal law restricts the sale of hearing aids to those individuals
who have obtained a medical evaluation from a licensed physician.
Federal law permits a fully informed adult to sign a waiver state-
ment declining the medical evaluation for religious or personal
beliefs that preclude consultation with a physician. The exercise
of such a waiver is not in your best health interest and its use is
strongly discouraged.
Children with hearing loss
In addition to seeing a physician for a medical evaluation, a child
with a hearing loss should be directed to an audiologist for evalu-
ation and rehabilitation since hearing loss may cause problems in
language development and the educational and social growth of
a child. An audiologist is qualified by training and experience to
assist in the evaluation and rehabilitation of a child with a hear-
ing loss.
