The Olympia LEOFF (Law Enforcement Officer and Firefighter) Disability Board convened on Monday, November 14, for the hearing aid request from a 71-year-old patient who has served six years in the army and 38 years as a firefighter.
The LEOFF Disability board is responsible for administering state law regarding all requests for disability leave, medical and dental treatment, and disability retirement for City of Olympia members of the LEOFF 1 pension system.
According to Madison Cole, Au. D., the patient’s attending audiologist, the patient has “permanent hearing loss attributed to occupational noise exposure.”
The applicant wrote that his loss of ability is due to “exposure to loud noise on duty, sirens, and air horns.” He went for a checkup after experiencing “subjective hearing decline and bothersome tinnitus.”
The request included documents containing the quotes for two hearing aids, one medically recommended aid from the audiologist’s clinic and one from a low-cost supplier.
There was a significant difference between the prices, the medically-recommended item costs $6850, and the low-cost item costs $1399.99.
The board scrutinized the request for the newer and more expensive product, which had not been requested before.
Olympia Mayor Cheryl Selby raised a concern about the pricier item, stating that the medically recommended aid is a “gray area” because of the benefits their own clinic might get.
“This person's not getting the treatment he needs, but I would like to have seen another estimate from another audiologist that treats tinnitus as well. This is the kind of a conflict with providers where they diagnose it and they also sell it. They're benefiting from selling this as well,” Mayor Selby said.
The board deliberated about the costly request before passing it and decided that during their next meeting, they would add a limit to the allowable amount for succeeding requests.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here