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Issue Brief:
Early Hearing Detection and Intervention
ACTION REQUESTED
Please request that the
Appropriations Committee continue and expand support of this new law at
its fully authorized level of $15 million for FY2001 to support the state
grant programs through the Health Resources and Services Administration
(HRSA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as
more directed research funds to early hearing loss detection and
intervention by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication
Disorders (NIDCD).
BACKGROUND
The Newborn Infant Hearing Screening
and Intervention Act of 1999 (as introduced by Representative James
Walsh), was incorporated as separate section, Title VI, under the
Labor-Health and Human Services (HHS)-Education and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act of 1999, H.R. 3424, and signed into law under the
subsequent budget agreement on November 29, 1999.
The new law enables up to three years of federal funds for
state grants to develop infant hearing screening and intervention
programs. It also specifies that three federal agencies - HRSA, CDC and
NIDCD - will work together to: ·
develop and expand statewide
screening programs; ·
link screening programs with community-based
intervention efforts; ·
monitor the impact of early detection and
intervention activities; and ·
provide technical assistance on data
management and applied research.
The funding level for these state grants through HRSA and CDC is $7 million for FY2000. Over 40 applications from States have been received by HRSA. But according to agency, only about half of these applications will be awarded under the current funding level. The CDC anticipates a similar response from States.
The new federal grants to states are expected to be a catalyst to advance newborn screening and intervention programs. Passage of the bill comes on the heels of a tremendous surge of new state laws this year - more than doubling the number of state laws to 24 - who have adopted legislation or state-wide programs to support newborn hearing screening and intervention programs.
For more information, contact Reed Franklin or Jim Potter.
To learn more about Early Hearing Detection and Intervention, please visit www.asha.org/infant_hearing.
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Hearing Detection & Intervention Action Center
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