# 119-hr-9001: Veterans Hearing Aid Improvement Act of 2026

119-hr-9001, Veterans Hearing Aid Improvement Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Self, Keith [R-TX-3] (R-TX); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-24).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9001
- As of: 2026-07-24
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9001
- Congress: 119
- Title: Veterans Hearing Aid Improvement Act of 2026
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2026-05-21
- Sponsor: Rep. Self, Keith [R-TX-3] (R-TX)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-07-24

## Summary

**Testing VA coverage of FDA-cleared over-the-counter hearing aids**. This bill would direct the Department of Veterans Affairs to run a two-year demonstration comparing FDA-cleared OTC hearing aids to audiologist-fitted prescription devices to gather clinical and fiscal evidence for permanent coverage decisions. - Veterans with mild-to-moderate hearing loss who are enrolled in VA could join if an audiologist finds an OTC hearing aid medically necessary, they have no FDA-defined red flags, and they can operate the device with a smartphone and data or Wi‑Fi. - The demonstration would run for two years at a minimum of two VA medical centers in different Veterans Integrated Services Networks, comparing outcomes under VA audiological best practices. - The VA must produce a final report within 180 days after the demonstration ends that evaluates clinical outcomes and the fiscal impact of permanent OTC coverage, and the Government Accountability Office would report to Congress within 18 months with recommendations on VA hearing aid programs.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15] (D-CA), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Van Orden, Derrick [R-WI-3] (R-WI), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- OTC Hearing Aid Study for Veterans: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would require VA to run a two-year demonstration of FDA-cleared over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids. The study must start within one year of enactment and run for two years at at least two VA medical centers in different regions. About the same number of veterans would be place…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-5106: Restore Trust in Congress Act
- 119-hr-1422: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1151: Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act
- 119-hr-909: Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-9001 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9001)

## Related
- [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-5106: Restore Trust in Congress Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5106)
- [119-hr-1422: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1422)
- [119-hr-1151: Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1151)
- [119-hr-909: Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-909)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9001 (as of 2026-07-24).