AN ACT relating to public health and safety; creating a hearing aid program for hearing impaired adults as specified; requiring rulemaking; providing appropriations; and providing for effective dates.
Labor
Enacted
This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.
Sponsor
Senator Furphy
Last action
2024-03-20
Official status
enrolled
Effective date
7/1/2024
Plain English Breakdown
The bill text specifies an appropriation for a contract position but does not indicate it will be a permanent hire.
Wyoming Adult Hearing Aid Program
This law creates a program to provide hearing aids for adults with profound hearing loss who earn up to two times the federal poverty level.
What This Bill Does
Creates a new program for adults diagnosed with profound hearing loss and meeting income requirements.
Requires the Wyoming Department of Health to manage this program and make rules about how it works.
Provides funding from the state's general fund to pay for hearing aids, fittings, and accessories for eligible adults.
Authorizes one at-will contract employee position at the Department of Health to administer the program.
Who It Names or Affects
Adults with profound hearing loss who earn up to two times the federal poverty level.
The Wyoming Department of Health which will manage the program and hire a new staff member.
Terms To Know
Eligible adult
A Wyoming resident over 18 years old with profound hearing loss who meets income requirements.
Federal poverty level
The federal guideline that sets the minimum income needed to support a family, updated yearly by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Limits and Unknowns
Eligible adults can receive only one set of hearing aids every five years.
Funding for the program is limited to $90,000 from July 1, 2024, until June 30, 2026.
Amendments
These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.
Plain English: The amendment changes the wording of a bill about hearing aids for adults by specifying 'profound' hearing impairment and removing certain dollar amount limits.
Adds the word 'profound' before 'hearing' to specify the type of hearing impairment covered.
Removes the phrase 'for less than or equal to five hundred' from the bill text.
Deletes the specific dollar amount '$500.00' mentioned in the bill.
The amendment does not provide details on what constitutes 'profound' hearing impairment, which may require further clarification through rulemaking or other means.
Bill History
2024-03-20LSO
Assigned Chapter Number 94
2024-03-20Governor
Governor Signed SEA No. 0042
2024-03-07House
H Speaker Signed SEA No. 0042
2024-03-07Senate
S President Signed SEA No. 0042
2024-03-06LSO
Assigned Number SEA No. 0042
2024-03-06House
H 3rd Reading:Passed 38-24-0-0-0
2024-03-05House
H 2nd Reading:Passed
2024-03-04House
H COW:Passed
2024-03-04House
H Placed on General File
2024-03-04House
H02 - Appropriations:Recommend Do Pass 7-0-0-0-0
2024-03-01House
:Rerefer to H02 - Appropriations
2024-03-01House
H10 - Labor:Recommend Do Pass 5-4-0-0-0
2024-02-28House
H Introduced and Referred to H10 - Labor
2024-02-28House
H Received for Introduction
2024-02-27Senate
S 3rd Reading:Passed 19-12-0-0-0
2024-02-26Senate
S 2nd Reading:Passed
2024-02-23Senate
S COW:Passed
2024-02-20Senate
S Placed on General File
2024-02-20Senate
S02 - Appropriations:Recommend Do Pass 5-0-0-0-0
2024-02-19Senate
:Rerefer to S02 - Appropriations
2024-02-19Senate
S10 - Labor:Recommend Do Pass 3-2-0-0-0
2024-02-14Senate
S Introduced and Referred to S10 - Labor 21-10-0-0-0
2024-01-24Senate
S Received for Introduction
2024-01-18LSO
Bill Number Assigned
Official Summary Text
Bill Summary - 24LSO-0012
Bill No.:
SF0057
Effective:
Multiple Dates
LSO No.:
24LSO-0012
Enrolled Act No.:
SEA No. 0042
Chapter No.:
94
Prime Sponsor:
Furphy
Catch Title:
Wyoming adult hearing aid program.
Has Report:
No
Subject:
Creates a hearing aid program for hearing impaired adults.
Summary/Major Elements:
This bill creates a hearing aid program for adults with profound hearing loss who have a monthly modified adjusted gross family income at or below two hundred percent (200%) of the federal poverty level.
This bill authorizes the Department of Health to manage this program.
This bill requires the Department of Health to promulgate rules to implement the bill.
This bill provides one at-will contract employee position to the Department of Health to administer the duties described in this bill.
This bill appropriates ninety thousand dollars ($90,000.00) from the general fund to the Department of Health for the purpose of providing hearing aids and accessories to hearing impaired adults.
The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent.
While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.
Current Bill Text
Read the full stored bill text
24LSO-0012
ORIGINAL Senate
File No
.
SF0057
ENROLLED ACT NO. 42,
SENATE
SIXTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2024 Budget Session
AN ACT relating to public health and safety; creating a hearing aid program for hearing impaired adults as specified; requiring rulemaking; providing appropriations; and providing for effective dates.
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
Section 1.
W.S. 35
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25
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601 through 35
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25
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603 are created to read:
ARTICLE 6
WYOMING ADULT HEARING AID PROGRAM
35
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25
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601.
Wyoming adult hearing aid program.
There is created a hearing aid program for adults with hearing impairment.
35
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25
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602.
Definitions.
(a)
As used in this article:
(i)
"Department" means the department of health;
(ii)
"Eligible adult" means a Wyoming resident not less than eighteen (18) years of age who has been diagnosed by a physician or audiologist with a profound hearing impairment that requires hearing aids and who has a monthly modified adjusted gross family income at or below two hundred percent (200%) of the federal poverty level;
(iii)
"Federal poverty level" means the federal poverty guideline updated annually in the federal register by the United States department of health and human services under the authority of section 673(2) of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981;
(iv)
"Hearing aid" means as defined by W.S. 33
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35
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102(a)(ii).
35
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25
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603.
Program eligibility; benefits.
(a)
Subject to available state funding, the department shall provide hearing aids for eligible adults. Eligibility under this section shall be determined by the department or its designee. To be determined eligible to receive hearing aids under this section, a person shall not be eligible to receive hearing aids through private insurance, Medicaid, Medicare or any other available third
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party payor. Recipients shall not receive more than one (1) set of hearing aids under this article in any five (5) year period.
(b)
An adult eligible for services under this article shall receive:
(i)
Up to one (1) hearing aid per ear at a cost of not more than the rate paid for hearing aids under the Wyoming Medical Assistance and Services Act and including hearing aid insurance for loss or damage;
(ii)
A hearing aid fitting at a cost of not more than the rate paid under the Wyoming Medical Assistance and Services Act; and
(iii)
An initial set of ear molds at a cost of not more than the rate paid under the Wyoming Medical Assistance and Services Act.
Section 2.
The department of health shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to implement this act.
Section 3.
(a)
The department of health is authorized one (1) at
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will employee contract position for the purpose of implementing and administering this act. There is appropriated nine thousand dollars ($9,000.00) from the general fund to the department of health for the salary of the position authorized under this subsection. This appropriation shall be for the period beginning with the effective date of this subsection and ending June 30, 2026 and shall only be expended for the additional position authorized under this section. This appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any other purpose and any unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from this appropriation shall revert as provided by law on June 30, 2026.
(b)
There is appropriated ninety thousand dollars ($90,000.00) from the general fund to the department of health for purposes of providing hearing aids, hearing aid molds and fittings to eligible adults under this act. This appropriation shall be for the period beginning with the effective date of this act and ending June 30, 2026. This appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any other purpose and any unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from this appropriation shall revert as provided by law on June 30, 2026.
It is the intent of the legislature that this appropriation be included in the standard budget of the department of health for the immediately succeeding fiscal biennium.
Section 4.
(a)
Except as provided by subsection (b) of this section, this act is effective July 1, 2024.
(b)
Sections 2 and 4 of this act are effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.
(END)
Speaker of the House
President of the Senate
Governor
TIME APPROVED: _________
DATE APPROVED: _________
I hereby certify that this act originated in the Senate.
Chief Clerk
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