Children's Hearing Aid Program (CHAP)

Office of Children With Special Health Care Needs

Children's Hearing Aid Program

The mission of the Utah Children's Hearing Aid Program (CHAP) is to optimize early communication and learning potentials for deaf/hard of hearing (DHH) infants and children by providing access to hearing aids to financially eligible families. 

In 2013, CHAP was created within the Department of Health and Human Services to provide hearing aids to qualifying children under six years of age who have hearing loss.  In October of 2023, CHAP began a pilot program to include qualifying children under 18 years of age.  As children 5 and under are the main priority, children 6 through 17 years of age may be put on a waiting list if funding is running low.  (If your child is 18 years of age or older or has already received hearing aids from CHAP, please see the HARP tab below).

All children with hearing loss should have access to resources necessary to reach their maximum potential. The goal of hearing aids is to make sound louder so that it can be heard; this allows the auditory part of the brain to grow. This brain growth has to happen before a child can use hearing to learn to understand words, to talk, and to read.

All necessary forms can be found by clicking on the links below. PLEASE NOTE: All application forms need to be submitted to your child’s audiologist who will then apply to the program on your behalf.

For more information, please contact your pediatric audiologist or Early Hearing Detection and Intervention at (801) 273-6600,  If you are in need of an audiologist possessing expertise in diagnosing hearing loss and fitting hearing aids on young children, you can go to http://www.ehdi-pals.org/ opens in a new tab to find one in your area.

Eligibility Requirements

Qualifying children must:

  • be a resident of Utah
  • be diagnosed as having hearing loss by an audiologist
  • provide documentation from an audiologist with pediatric expertise certifying that he/she needs hearing aids
  • be younger than eighteen years old
  • be ineligible to receive a hearing aid through the state’s Medicaid program
  • not have insurance coverage for hearing aids
  • meet the financial need qualification criteria established by the department for participation

Audiologists

When a family is applying, in addition to the 3 application forms (Participant Application form, Managing Audiologist form, and Financial form), please submit the following documentation::

  1. Medical clearance
  2. Audiogram with bone conduction/immittance information
  3. Insurance denial or copy of exclusions page
  4. Letter documenting that the child is receiving Part C Early Intervention services if they are under three years of age

FAQs

Please complete the following forms and email to jpedersen@utah.gov or fax to (801) 536-0492

Hearing Aid Recycling Program (HARP)

Qualifying children must:

  • be a resident of Utah
  • be diagnosed as having hearing loss by an audiologist with pediatric expertise
  • provide documentation from an audiologist with pediatric expertise certifying that he/she needs hearing aids
  • be six years of age or older
  • be ineligible to receive a hearing aid through the state’s Medicaid program
  • not have insurance coverage for hearing aids
  • meet the financial need qualification criteria established by the department for participation in the program

To apply for HARP hearing aids, please complete the following forms and email to jpedersen@utah.gov or fax to (801) 536-0492

En español:

Brochures

Program summaries including eligibility requirements

Hearing Aid Recycling Program Donation Information:

Please send used hearing aids and unused batteries to:

Utah EHDI Program
PO Box 144620
Salt Lake City, UT 84114-4620

Or email chap@utah.gov for a pre-stamped envelope to be mailed to you. Please allow up to 3 business days for the HARP coordinator to respond to your request.

A receipt of your donation will be mailed to you once the donation has been processed.

Contact us

Address:

Utah Department of Health and Human Services
Office of Children with Special Health Care Needs
Children's Hearing Aid Program (CHAP)
195 North 1950 West
Salt Lake City, Utah 84116

Phone:

Monday thru Friday - 8 am to 5 pm
phone number (801) 273-6600
fax number (801) 536-0492 Fax