Hearing Services Program — GP Reference
📋 Source: Hearing Services Program — Department of Health and Aged Care (hearingservices.gov.au).
Your doctor or healthcare provider knows your history and circumstances — always follow their personalised advice over general information.
What the program covers, who is eligible, the no-referral pathway, and when to refer for medical or ENT assessment first.
In one line
The Hearing Services Program sits outside Medicare and needs no GP referral — eligible patients self-refer to an accredited provider. Your value-add is case-finding, ear health, advising eligible patients it exists, and recognising when hearing loss needs medical or ENT assessment before a hearing aid.
Eligibility at a glance
Voucher Scheme — Australian citizens or permanent residents (or Norfolk Island), aged 21+, who are: a Pensioner Concession Card holder or their dependant; a DVA Gold Card holder; a DVA White Card holder (issued for hearing loss); a serving ADF member; or referred via a Disability Employment Service or the NDIS. Vouchers are valid 5 years.
Community Service Obligations (CSO), via Hearing Australia — children and young people under 26, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50+, and people in many remote communities.
Does not qualify on its own: a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card. Confirm any patient at the official eligibility checker rather than assuming.
What it covers
Hearing assessment, fitting and follow-up; a range of fully subsidised hearing aids (patient may top-up for a premium device); and an optional annual maintenance agreement (small fee) for batteries, repairs and servicing.
Refer for medical / ENT assessment first if…
The program rehabilitates hearing loss — it does not diagnose its cause. Arrange medical or ENT assessment (not just a hearing-aid pathway) when there are warning features, for example: sudden hearing loss (treat as urgent), unilateral or markedly asymmetric loss, otalgia, otorrhoea or trauma, vertigo, or a conductive picture / suspected wax occlusion that may be reversible. Diagnostic audiology and ENT review are a separate, Medicare-funded pathway from the Hearing Services Program.
GP role & billing
There is no MBS item for an HSP referral because none is required. Case-finding, ear examination and advice happen within your usual consultation — bill the relevant attendance item. Use a normal referral only where you are sending the patient for diagnostic ENT/audiology assessment, which is the separate Medicare pathway.
Sources & clinical disclaimer
- Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing — Hearing Services Program (eligibility, voucher scheme, accessing services). hearingservices.gov.au; health.gov.au.
- Hearing Australia — Community Service Obligations. hearing.com.au.
General clinical-administration reference, not a substitute for clinical judgement or current guidelines. Eligibility criteria change — verify at hearingservices.gov.au. Current as at June 2026.