The CSST may pay the cost of one or two hearing aids under certain conditions. To qualify, it is necessary to establish that the hearing loss was caused by occupational noise exposure. You must have worked for a number of years in a noisy environment (average noise levels of at least 85 dBA) most of that time being spent in the province of Québec, and you must also have paid premiums to the CSST.

Occupationally-induced hearing loss is generally apparent after about a decade of hazardous noise exposure. Self-employed workers are generally ineligible for CSST support since they don’t pay premiums to the CSST. However, it’s important to note that even if you are retired, regardless of how long you’ve been retired, you can still ask CSST to open a file regarding your claim that your hearing loss is attributable to occupational noise exposure.

Once a file is opened at the CSST, it is crucial that a qualified physician prescribes the need for hearing aids for you. Such a recommendation is attainable even if the degree of hearing impairment is below the CSST’s forensic scale for obtaining financial compensation for physical impairments and loss of quality of life. Upon accepting a hearing loss to have been occupationally-induced, the CSST can cover the cost of one or two hearing aids, as needed, every five years, and this coverage includes the cost of hearing aid maintenance products and batteries.