Virginia requires state-regulated private insurance to cover hearing aids for children 18 and younger — up to $1,500 per hearing aid per ear every 24 months, with no copays on the benefit — but adults have no mandate yet. A 2026 law sets Virginia on a path to add hearing aid coverage for all ages to individual and small-group plans around 2028, pending federal approval. Virginia Medicaid (Cardinal Care) covers hearing aids for members under 21 through EPSDT, while adults 21 and over currently have no Medicaid hearing aid benefit. Adults with hearing loss should look at DARS vocational rehabilitation and the VDDHH Technology Assistance Program for help.
By Lilly Seay · Updated July 2026
Virginia Medicaid does not cover hearing aids for adults 21 and over. HB 982 (2024) would have added adult hearing screenings, audiological exams, hearing aids up to $1,500 per year, and up to 60 batteries per year; it cleared the Health and Human Services committee but was laid on the table in a House Appropriations subcommittee and left in committee in February 2024. Companion budget amendments also failed, and advocacy (e.g., NVRC) continues. Most members are enrolled in Cardinal Care managed care plans, and some plans advertise limited extra hearing benefits as value-adds — check your specific plan. Status as of mid-2026; confirm with DMAS in case a later budget adds the benefit.
Federal EPSDT law (42 U.S.C. § 1396d(r)(4)) requires every state — Virginia included — to cover hearing aids for Medicaid-enrolled children under 21 at no cost to the family. Members under 21 receive medically necessary hearing aids, exams, and fittings under federal EPSDT rules; DMAS uses a hearing aid prior-authorization process and services are delivered mostly through Cardinal Care managed care plans. Virginia's CHIP program is FAMIS; families apply through Cover Virginia (coverva.dmas.virginia.gov or 1-833-5CALLVA).
State-regulated individual and group plans must cover hearing aids and related services for children 18 or younger when recommended by an otolaryngologist: one hearing aid per ear with hearing loss every 24 months, up to $1,500 per hearing aid, with the option to choose a pricier aid and pay the difference with no penalty. Insurers may not charge any copayment or fee on this benefit. Effective for policies issued or renewed on and after January 1, 2024. An earlier 2020 version (§ 38.2-3418.20) never took effect. Looking ahead: HB 328 (Acts 2026, c. 1048, signed April 22, 2026) directs Virginia to adopt an updated essential health benefits benchmark plan — targeted for plan year 2028 or the earliest year CMS permits — that would add hearing aid coverage for all ages to individual and small-group plans; once that benchmark takes effect, those markets move from the children's mandate to the broader benchmark benefit (a contingent effective date in the act). Until then, the children-only rules above continue to apply. ERISA self-funded employer plans are exempt.
Statute: Va. Code § 38.2-3418.21 (Acts 2023, c. 473)
Remember: state mandates only reach state-regulated ("fully insured") plans. Self-funded employer plans — covering about two-thirds of insured workers — are exempt under federal ERISA law. One question to HR settles which kind you have.
Virginia residents shop eight marketplace carriers on the state's own exchange (Virginia's Insurance Marketplace), and five managed-care companies run Cardinal Care, the Medicaid program. Every state-regulated plan must cover hearing aids for children 18 and younger, and a 2026 law puts all-ages coverage on the horizon for individual and small-group plans around 2028.
Anthem's HealthKeepers plans are a mainstay of Virginia's Insurance Marketplace, and Anthem HealthKeepers Plus is one of five Cardinal Care Medicaid plans. As state-regulated coverage, its individual and group plans must follow Virginia's children's hearing aid mandate for members 18 and younger.
The Hampton Roads-based insurer (formerly Optima) sells 2026 marketplace plans and serves Cardinal Care Medicaid members statewide. Its state-regulated plans must cover hearing aids for children 18 and younger under Va. Code § 38.2-3418.21.
Aetna Better Health of Virginia is one of the five Cardinal Care Medicaid plans, though Aetna exited Virginia's individual marketplace at the end of 2025. Medicaid hearing aid coverage follows state rules — children under 21 through EPSDT, with no adult benefit — though some plans advertise limited extra hearing perks.
Humana Healthy Horizons of Virginia joined Cardinal Care in July 2025, absorbing former Molina members. Humana is also one of the country's largest Medicare Advantage carriers; MA hearing benefits vary by plan and year, so check your Evidence of Coverage or Medicare.gov.
UnitedHealthcare of the Mid-Atlantic is a Cardinal Care Medicaid plan, and its affiliate Optimum Choice sells 2026 marketplace plans. UnitedHealthcare runs member hearing benefits through its UnitedHealthcare Hearing program, where coverage and hearing aid pricing depend on your specific plan.
One of eight insurers offering 2026 individual plans on Virginia's Insurance Marketplace. Its state-regulated Virginia plans are subject to the children's hearing aid mandate; adult hearing coverage varies by plan.
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic serves the Northern Virginia/DC suburbs on the marketplace. As a state-regulated plan it must cover hearing aids for children 18 and younger; ask member services about adult hearing benefits on your specific plan.
No — Virginia Medicaid (Cardinal Care) does not cover hearing aids for adults 21 and over, though members under 21 are covered through EPSDT. A 2024 bill (HB 982) would have added adult hearing exams, hearing aids up to $1,500 a year, and batteries, but it stalled in a House Appropriations subcommittee and advocacy continues. One practical tip: most members are in one of five Cardinal Care managed-care plans — Aetna, Anthem HealthKeepers Plus, Humana, Sentara, or UnitedHealthcare — and some advertise limited extra hearing perks as value-adds, so it's worth calling your plan to ask what's included.
For children, yes. State-regulated plans must cover hearing aids for kids 18 and younger when recommended by an otolaryngologist — one aid per ear every 24 months, up to $1,500 per hearing aid, with no copays on the benefit, and you can choose a pricier aid and pay the difference. Adults have no mandate yet, but change is coming: HB 328, signed in April 2026, directs Virginia to adopt an updated benchmark plan — targeted for 2028 — that would add hearing aid coverage for all ages to individual and small-group plans. Self-funded employer (ERISA) plans are exempt from state rules.
If you're working or job-hunting, start with the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) — its vocational rehabilitation program can help fund hearing aids when hearing loss affects employment. The VDDHH Technology Assistance Program (TAP) helps Virginians with hearing loss get assistive technology, and the Virginia Department of Health runs a Hearing Aid Loan Bank through its EHDI program so young children can borrow aids while waiting for a permanent fit. Kids also have real insurance rights here: Medicaid covers hearing aids under 21, and private plans must cover them for children 18 and younger.
Likely around 2028, if federal approval goes smoothly. HB 328 — signed into law on April 22, 2026 — directs Virginia to adopt an updated essential health benefits benchmark plan that adds hearing aid coverage for all ages to individual and small-group plans, targeted for plan year 2028 or the earliest year CMS permits. Until that benchmark takes effect, the current children-only mandate continues to apply, and adult coverage depends on your specific plan. Large-group and self-funded employer plans aren't covered by the change, so adults on those plans should still check their benefits directly.
All five Cardinal Care plans — Aetna Better Health, Anthem HealthKeepers Plus, Humana Healthy Horizons, Sentara Health Plans, and UnitedHealthcare — must provide the same core Medicaid benefit: hearing aids covered for members under 21, nothing for adults 21 and over. Where they differ is in extras. Some plans advertise limited hearing benefits as value-adds on top of the state benefit, and those offerings change year to year. Before open enrollment, call each plan you're considering and ask specifically whether it offers any adult hearing exam or hearing aid allowance, and what the limits are.
While you sort out coverage, the Hearing Buddy app gives you live captions on your phone — free, instantly.