# 119-s-3739: Veterans Hearing Aid Improvement Act of 2026

119-s-3739, Veterans Hearing Aid Improvement Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN] (R-TN); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-06-05).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3739
- As of: 2026-06-05
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-3739
- Congress: 119
- Title: Veterans Hearing Aid Improvement Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-01-29
- Sponsor: Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN] (R-TN)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-06-05

## Summary

**Evaluate covering FDA-cleared over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids for veterans.** This bill would direct the Department of Veterans Affairs to run a two-year demonstration comparing FDA-cleared OTC hearing aids with audiologist-fitted prescription hearing aids and to collect fiscal and clinical data. - Veterans enrolled in VA care with mild-to-moderate hearing loss who a VA audiologist determines need an OTC hearing aid, who have no FDA contraindications, and who can use a mobile phone and data or Wi‑Fi would be eligible to participate. - The demonstration must run at no fewer than two VA medical centers in different Veterans Integrated Services Networks to reach urban and rural veterans. Participants would be split roughly equally between OTC and audiologist-fitted groups to compare self-reported benefit, speech recognition in noise, and the two-year fiscal impact of permanent OTC coverage. - The Comptroller General would study how many people in the U.S. have mild-to-moderate hearing loss, their medical coverage for hearing aids, and how effective that coverage is. The report, due within 18 months, may include recommendations and examine contract design for purchasing devices.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-01-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA] (R-IA), 2026-01-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT] (R-MT), 2026-04-14T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Veterans OTC Hearing Aid Trial: mixed, medium. If enacted, VA would run a two-year demonstration testing FDA-cleared over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids. The trial would begin within one year after enactment and run at least two VA medical centers in different regions, including rural and urban settings. About half of participants would get OTC…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-5025: Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026
- 119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025
- 119-s-199: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide special rules for the taxation of certain residents of Taiwan with income from sources within the…
- 119-s-556: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-3739 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3739)

## Related
- [119-s-4744: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4744)
- [119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3597)
- [119-s-5025: Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5025)
- [119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1241)
- [119-s-199: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide special rules for…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-199)
- [119-s-556: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-556)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3739 (as of 2026-06-05).