Hearing Exams

Status	Coverage
Active duty service members with TRICARE Prime	Get your hearing exams at your assigned military hospital or clinic, based on the regulations for your service.
Active duty service members with TRICARE Prime Remote	Follow steps for getting a referral for specialty careSpecialized medical/surgical diagnosis, treatment, or services a primary care provider isn’t qualified to provide..
Active duty family members (Adults)	TRICARE covers one hearing screening per calendar year.
Active duty family members (Children)1	TRICARE Select: Hearing screenings are covered for children through age 5 through the well-child care benefit. TRICARE Prime: Appropriate hearing screenings are covered for all children regardless of age.
Retired service members	You may be eligible for hearing exams at your local military hospital or clinic, if space is available. Contact your military hospital or clinic for more information.

¹All infants should undergo hearing screening using one or both of the following testing methods before 1 month of age:

• Otoacoustic emission, also known as OAE
• Auditory brainstem response, also known as ABR

Preferably, infants should be tested before leaving the hospital. If not tested at birth, all infants should have a hearing screening before 1 month of age. An infant who doesn’t pass the hearing screening should undergo appropriate hearing testing to confirm the presence of a hearing loss at no later than 3 months of age. All children through age 5 should undergo hearing screening at each well-child visit. Children with possible hearing impairments should be referred for appropriate testing.