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Notice of Regulatory Change Regarding Hearing Aid Dispensers Continuing Education Requirements

Protection of the public is the highest priority for the Board when exercising its licensing, regulatory, and disciplinary functions. To protect the public, the Board establishes requirements for continuing education (CE) to assure the public of professional competence for licensees who sell or fit hearing aids (Business and Professions Code section 2538.18.)

This regulatory change will:

  • increase the number of hours that may be obtained in related or indirect client care courses from three (3) to four (4) hours per renewal period;
  • permit no more than six (6) hours per renewal period for courses related to equipment, devices, or other products;
  • require licensees who are renewing for the first time to complete CE;
  • require licensees who let their license expire to complete CE for the most recent renewal period;
  • permit licensees who teach a course to receive the same number of hours, once per renewal, as a licensee who attended the course;
  • permit two (2) hours for each day of service for a maximum of four (4) hours per renewal for serving the Board as a selected participant in Board–sponsored examination development or administration related functions;
  • permit two (2) hours for completing a Board sponsored Occupational Analysis;
  • define courses related to equipment, devices, or other products to be the fitting, programming, and troubleshooting of equipment, devices, or other products of a particular manufacturer or company only as it relates to benefitting a client's hearing and functional use of the equipment, device, or product;
  • define courses related to equipment, devices, or other products cannot be on marketing, launching, or demonstrating the marketability of equipment, devices, or other products regardless of whether it focuses on a particular manufacturer's or company's equipment, devices, or products; and
  • align these regulations with continual professional learning requirements this Board has for licensees in the practices of speech–language pathology and audiology under Article 11 of Division 13.4 such as clarifying that applicants for initial licensure who are licensed in another state do not need to complete their CE until their first renewal, any educational course as a part of probation cannot apply towards CE, and exemption from CE.

Information on CE requirements can be found on the Board's website at https://www.speechandhearing.ca.gov/licensees/had_ce_req.shtml and Frequently Asked Questions regarding CE requirements can be found on the Board's website at https://www.speechandhearing.ca.gov/applicants/hadfaqs.shtml.

Hearing Aid Dispensers CE Requirements

Effective Date of Regulation: October 1, 2024

The proposed changes amend sections 1399.140, 1399.140.1, and 1399.144 of Division 13.3, of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations.