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In December, 2016, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated at the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) meeting on Hearing Health Care for Adults: Priorities for Improving Access and Affordability that it would no longer enforce the medial waiver requirement for adult hearing aid fittings.
Maryland licensure law requires adults have a medical clearance or sign a medical waiver prior to each hearing aid fitting.
Until the FDA rescinds the medical waiver, Maryland law still applies. Therefore, for ALL hearing aid fittings, even if the adult is a long-time user of amplification, medical clearance or a signed medical waiver is required. If you do not have a medical waiver, reach out to your national associations for an example of appropriate language. It is expected that the final rule for Over-the-Counter (OTC) hearing aids will remove the medical waiver requirement; however, it is still unknown when the proposed rule will be released.
