If it has been determined through medical examination and
testing that an injured worker incurred a hearing impairment as a result of a
compensable injury, the Division shall pay for examinations and testing of the
ear(s), and the purchase of hearing aid devices(s) approved by the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA), and respective supplies, in order to restore the
injured worker's hearing as close to pre-injury status as possible.
(a) A hearing test must be performed, and the
results submitted to the Division, in order to substantiate the existence of a
compensable hearing loss and to establish a base line from which to measure any
potential increase in hearing impairment in the future.
(b) The Division shall pay for a replacement
hearing aid only if the treating physician submits a written report to the
Division, specifying that a new hearing aid is required due to an increase in
hearing impairment which is directly related to the compensable injury. The
report must include the results of a current hearing test, which evidences an
increase in hearing impairment over the base line, or the results of the last
hearing test on file with the Division.
(c) If the Division verifies that an injured
worker's pre-existing hearing aid, not his hearing, was damaged or destroyed as
a result of a work-related accident, the Division shall pay for one comparable
replacement hearing aid.
(i) The Division will
not pay for a cochlear implant, tympanoplasty, or other similar surgery as a
replacement for a damaged or destroyed hearing aid device.
(ii) The Division will not pay for a
subsequent replacement hearing aid if the first replacement hearing aid was
lost, stolen, or broken.
Notes
053-10 Wyo. Code R. §§
10-12
Amended,
Eff. 8/24/2017.
Amended, Eff.
6/7/2019.
Amended,
Eff. 4/16/2020.
Amended,
Eff. 10/26/2020.
Amended, Eff. 2/7/2023.
Amended, Eff. 7/5/2023.
Amended, Eff.
7/22/2024.
Amended, Eff.
1/18/2025.
