Getting a hearing assistive device with state support

You can always buy a hearing assistive device at full price, but we are also a partner of the Estonian Social Insurance Board, which means you can get one from us with state support.

To get a hearing assistive device with ISO code 22.27.09 at a state-subsidised price, follow these steps:

1. Get a certificate from your family doctor or a specialist:

   First, visit your family doctor or an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist, who will assess your hearing loss and your need for a hearing assistive device. The doctor will issue you a certificate or referral. Indication: people with a problem in the structures of the outer, middle and/or inner ear, with hearing loss from 50 dB.

2. Contact us or visit the Soundfr office:

   Our team are specialists in their field and will help you with any questions about assistive devices. You can try the Soundfr device before buying it.

3. Submit the required documents:

   To get an assistive device, you need to submit the following documents:
   a. A doctor’s certificate or referral.
   b. An identity document.

4. Applying for an exception:

   The state compensates an assistive device up to the price limit set for that device. When you buy an assistive device, the state pays its share and you pay your co-payment. If the co-payment is too high for you, you can apply to have it reduced (see applying for an exception). Your co-payment is always at least 7 euros (except when buying incontinence products and when renting an assistive device).

   
   Paying for assistive devices by exception

   In justified cases, you can apply for an exception when buying an assistive device. The application is submitted to the Social Insurance Board before you buy the device (that is, you cannot apply for an exception once the purchase has been made).

   
   You can apply for an exception in the following cases:

   1. To reduce your co-payment. The co-payment is the amount you pay for your assistive device. It depends on the device, its price and the price limit. You can find more details here. The Social Insurance Board reduces the co-payment if the applicant or their family has received subsistence benefit in the month of application or in the 12 months before it.
      If your financial situation does not allow you to pay the co-payment, the Social Insurance Board may reduce it to as little as five percent of the price of the device. To do this, submit an application to reduce the co-payment together with your consent to check income-related data in various information systems or databases. When reducing the co-payment, the applicant’s income (for children, the legal representative’s income), monthly obligations for assistive devices and subsistence limits are taken into account.
   2. To get a new assistive device because the one you use no longer meets your needs (for example, your hearing or vision has deteriorated, the device does not help you, or it was destroyed in an accident).
   3. You need an assistive device that is not on the list of assistive devices, but you cannot manage everyday life without it.
   4. You need an assistive device that is marked “on the basis of an exception application” in the list of assistive devices.
5. Maintenance and aftercare:

   After receiving your assistive device, it is important to follow the care instructions and attend follow-up checks when needed to make sure the device works properly.

NB! You can get a hearing assistive device with state support once every 6 years. You can read more about the conditions on the Social Insurance Board website or ask us.

Regulation No. 74 of the Minister of Social Protection, “List of assistive devices, conditions and procedure for deciding on the state’s assumption of the obligation to pay for assistive devices and for making exceptions, and the data of the assistive device card”, together with the attached list of assistive devices, can be found in Riigi Teataja HERE.

Information about the assistive device system, special procedures, and the regulation signed by the Minister of Social Affairs on state-compensated assistive devices and price limits is available from:

Email:info@sotsiaalkindlustusamet.ee

Information line: 612 1360