Answering Your Questions About the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) for Hearing Aids

Untreated hearing loss can lead to several negative mental and physical health consequences with the potential to limit your independence and decrease your quality of life. 

Unfortunately, some Canadians in Ontario struggle to make ends meet when they are between jobs or disabled and cannot afford even basic hearing care. Does that mean they simply fall through the cracks and suffer the consequences of untreated hearing loss? 

Thanks to an act introduced by Ontario’s provincial government in 1998, these unfortunate individuals do not have to fall through the cracks. The act created the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) under the oversight of the Ministry of Community and Social Services.  

In an effort to ensure that anyone who needs hearing aids and hearing care has access to it regardless of their income status, Dion Hearing Centre wants to make you aware of the financial assistance offered by ODSP, which includes help with hearing aids and hearing care. 

What Is ODSP? 

Ontario Disability Support Program is a financial assistance program developed by Ontario’s provincial government with the charge of providing “income support and employment assistance to disabled people who are in financial need,” according to the act’s preamble. 

The type of support may include: 

• Money to help you and your eligible family members with living expenses, including food and rent 
• Health benefits, including prescription drugs and vision care 
• Employment support to help you find and keep a job or advance your career 

Additional benefits for which you could be eligible may also include transportation to medical appointments and increased benefits if you have a spouse or child. 

The amount you receive will depend on eligibility and your specific situation. 

Who Is Eligible? 

To qualify for ODSP income support, you must:  

• Be at least 18 years of age (you can start the application process up to six months before your 18th birthday) 
• Be an Ontario resident 
• Have assets no greater than the limits set out in the program 
• Demonstrate financial need 
• Meet the program’s definition of a person with a disability or be a member of a prescribed class 

Your circumstances, including your income and assets, living expenses, family size and make-up, and shelter costs, will be evaluated in the process of determining your eligibility. 

In addition to demonstrating financial need, the major factor determining eligibility is you being a person with a disability, which includes hearing loss, and/or being one of the prescribed classes or categories of people who do not have to go through the disability adjudication process to qualify for ODSP income support. 

Visit the ODSP website for additional information about who qualifies for either of these forms of eligibility. 

How Does ODSP Help With Hearing Aids and Hearing Care? 

The ODSP links to the Assistive Devices Program (ADP) under the supervision of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC). 

To qualify for ODSP assistance, you must demonstrate a documented hearing loss and that you need a hearing device to continue your normal daily living activities for home, school, recreation, sports, or work.  

The hearing devices approved by ADP for financial assistance include: 

• Hearing aids/FM systems 
• Cochlear implants 
• Bone-anchored hearing aids 
• Teletypewriters and flashing signalling devices 

Eligible recipients might also receive assistance for various costs related to hearing aids and hearing devices, including costs for: 

• Hearing aids or hearing appliances 
• Dispensing fees (included in the service bundle) 
• Replacement batteries 
• Repairs 

Learn more about ODSP Hearing Aid Benefit eligibility and policies. 

Dion Hearing Wants You to Get the Help You Need 

Some forms of hearing loss limit your capacity to perform daily tasks at home, at work, or out in the Ontario community. However, difficulty connecting with the world around you is not the only critical issue associated with hearing loss.