Transferring Your Hearing Services Program Provider to AIM Hearing Bundaberg
Many pensioners and veterans believe they cannot change their Hearing Services Program provider, or that they must wait until their Battery and Maintenance entitlement expires before moving to another clinic. Neither is correct. Under the Australian Government Hearing Services Program you have the right to choose your provider, and to transfer to a different one at any time. Conditions apply under the Australian Government Hearing Services Program.
If you would prefer independent, personalised hearing care at AIM Hearing Bundaberg, the transfer process is straightforward and fully managed at our end. There is no need for an uncomfortable conversation with your current provider, and there is no cost to you.
Paying privately rather than through the Hearing Services Program? Your process is different — see private clients further down this page.
How the transfer works
The transfer involves three steps. Only the first two require anything from you.
Step 1: Start your transfer online
Fill in our short online transfer form, including your Pensioner Concession Card or DVA card number. Our reception team checks your eligibility through the official Hearing Services Program online portal, usually within minutes, and starts your transfer so your file can be on its way before you arrive. It takes about two minutes.
Would rather do it all in person? That is fine too — just bring your card when you visit and we will check it at the desk. If you are newly enrolled in the program, Hearing Australia will have sent you a welcome pack outlining your benefits.
Step 2: Visit us with your card
Bring your Pensioner Concession Card or DVA card to our clinic at Shop 1/1 Heidke Street, Avoca. If we have not already checked your eligibility online, we do it at the desk. You then sign the official government transfer form, which the program requires before any services are provided. We will have it ready for you, and it only takes a minute. As a new client, we will also send you our short client information form before your first appointment, so your details and health history are ready when you arrive.
Step 3: We manage the rest
We follow your transfer through with the Hearing Services Program and your previous provider. Your clinical records and service history come across to our clinic, so your clinician sees your full history rather than starting from a blank file.
What transferring costs you
Nothing. Transferring provider under the Hearing Services Program does not carry a fee and does not reduce or reset your entitlements.
You keep the hearing aids you have already been fitted with, and we service and maintain them here. The remaining balance of your Battery and Maintenance entitlement follows you rather than starting again, so if you have months left on your current cycle, those months come with you.
Transferring also does not lock you in. If your circumstances change, you are free to transfer again through the same process.
Why clients transfer to AIM Hearing
AIM Hearing is Bundaberg’s longest-running 100% locally owned and independent hearing clinic. We are not part of a national chain, which means there are no head office device targets or sales quotas.
The practical difference is time. Alan sees five to six clients a day rather than fifteen, which allows us to properly understand the listening difficulties you are experiencing before discussing any solution. Sometimes the answer is hearing aids. Sometimes it is ear wax removal, an assistive listening device for television, or a referral. We explain your results in clear language and outline your options without pressure.
We are located in Avoca and see clients from across the Bundaberg region, including Bargara, Innes Park and Burnett Heads, generally within around 80 km of central Bundaberg.
Common questions about transferring
Do I need a referral from my GP to transfer?
No. You can transfer without seeing your GP first.
I am a DVA client — does this process apply to me?
Yes, if you hold a DVA Gold Card, or a DVA White Card that covers hearing loss. Your hearing services are provided through the Hearing Services Program, so you transfer the same way, using the steps above. If your White Card does not yet cover hearing loss, or you are a veteran starting a claim, call us on 07 4153 1317 and we will explain your options, or see our DVA Hearing Services page.
Private clients
If you are not on the Hearing Services Program — for example, you paid for your hearing aids yourself or through a health fund — you can still move your hearing care to AIM Hearing. The process is different, and there is no government form involved.
Fill in our short private transfer form and we will request your file from your previous provider, so your history, test results and hearing aid settings come across with you. It takes about two minutes, and there is nothing to download or install.
Not sure which applies to you, or would rather do it on paper? Ring us on 07 4153 1317 and we will sort it out with you.
Arrange your transfer
To start your transfer, use the online forms above, call AIM Hearing Bundaberg on 07 4153 1317, or visit us at Shop 1/1 Heidke Street, Avoca, Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm.