If you lose some or all of your hearing as a result of a traumatic event, such as an accident involving an explosion, or a head, brain or ear injury, you may be covered by ACC for the injury and for help with managing your day-to-day functioning.
How can we help?
We may also be able to help if your hearing loss is a result of being exposed to a noisy workplace. See Gradual process, disease or infection caused by your work.
For information about noise-induced hearing loss and protecting your hearing, see Noise induced hearing loss.
What do I need to do?
- If you suffer an injury that results in hearing loss, see a health professional as soon as possible. Don’t wait until you feel better, as this can often make the injury worse and your recovery longer.
The Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Compensation (IPRC) Act 2001 defines the health professionals who are approved to provide treatment. See the list of approved treatment providers.
- Your health professional (doctor, nurse etc) will help you fill out an ACC claim form and send it to us.
- Usually you will need to pay at least part of the cost of this first visit to a health professional; they can claim the rest back if your clam is accepted. If you are asked to pay the full amount, keep the receipt, because you may be able to claim some of the money back if ACC accepts your claim.
- Complete any additional questionnaires or forms, attaching any further information you have to support your claim, and attend any assessments that you are asked to. Usually, ACC will arrange for you to have an assessment and tests with an audiologist and/or ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist.
It is important not to incur any costs before you talk to us. ACC cannot guarantee payment for consultations or hearing devices that we have not arranged.
What information does ACC need from me?
ACC needs the same information for all claims in the first instance. See Injury in New Zealand.
When your claim is registered, you will be forwarded a hearing loss questionnaire and asked to fill it out and return it to ACC within 14 working days. You may also be asked to attend an appointment with an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist to assess your hearing loss, which ACC will arrange and pay for.
How does ACC decide if I am covered?
See Injury in New Zealand for some of the standard questions ACC considers when assessing cover.
We will consider all the information provided on your claim form and hearing loss questionnaire, as well as any other medical assessments from your doctor, audiologist or ENT specialist.
ACC does not cover hearing loss caused by:
- the ageing process
- illness
- congenital (existing from birth) or hereditary conditions.
How long might ACC take to decide?
The majority of hearing loss claims are assessed for cover within four months of being lodged. It may take this long to make a decision because of the time it takes to get a report from an ENT specialist. The specialist’s report is also required when we assess the type of assistance that ACC can provide.
If it is not possible to make a decision in that time, ACC will extend the timeframe. You will be told about the extension as soon as possible.
What happens next?
We will contact you by phone or letter to let you know if your claim is accepted. If it is declined, we will tell you why.
If your claim is accepted, we may be able to help with the cost of treatment and other assistance, such as rehabilitation or special equipment, eg a hearing aid. See Services for hearing loss for more information.
Your actual entitlement depends on your individual circumstances. Please contact us to confirm if you are eligible, or to identify other ways in which we can help. See Contact ACC Claims for our contact details.
Note:
If you are unhappy with the decision, you can ask for it to be reviewed. See What if I have problems with a claim?
For more information, see Hearing Association of New Zealand (external link).
Last updated: 20 June 2008