Work-related hearing loss in NSW is paid through two separate channels. Hearing aids and audiology services are medical expenses under section 60 of the Workers Compensation Act 1987, billed by SIRA-approved providers against the AID codes in the Workers Compensation (Hearing Aid Fees) Order 2024. Lump sum compensation is a separate claim under section 66, decided on an ENT specialist’s assessment, and for most workers it needs a binaural loss of at least 20.5%. A worker can hold a valid hearing aid claim with no lump sum entitlement at all. There is no AH001 code in the NSW hearing schedule. Every current NSW hearing item starts with AID, and the maximum fees attached to them have not changed since 1 February 2024. The codes section lists each item with the conditions an insurer checks before paying.
How a hearing loss claim works
Section 17 of the 1987 Act treats boilermaker’s deafness and similar noise-induced loss as an injury caused by a gradual process, and it fixes a deemed date of injury so the worker does not have to prove which job did the damage. If the worker is still in noisy employment, the date of injury is the day they give their employer notice of the loss. If they have left noisy work, it is the last day they worked in it. Liability falls on the last noisy employer. The test is whether that employment carried a real risk of industrial deafness, and neither the length of service nor whether it was the loudest job in a long career makes any difference. A worker who spent 30 years in a foundry and the final two months on a construction site claims against the construction company’s insurer, provided the site meets that test. The usual path starts with the nominated treating doctor, normally the GP, who may refer the worker to an ENT specialist to establish the degree of binaural loss and the share attributable to workplace noise. SIRA says hearing assessments must be conducted face to face. Telehealth is permitted for later fitting and rehabilitation work, subject to the conditions in the practice requirements section.
Lump sum compensation
The threshold for a lump sum depends on the deemed date of injury and the class of worker.
Worker
Minimum loss for a lump sum
Deemed date of injury on or after 1 January 2002
11% whole person impairment (WPI), equivalent to 20.5% binaural hearing loss
Deemed date of injury before 1 January 2002
6% binaural hearing loss
Coal miners
6% binaural hearing loss, still assessed under the Table of Disabilities
Some police officers, fire fighters and paramedics (exempt workers)
6% binaural hearing loss
The gap between the two figures is where most claims divide. A worker can have enough loss to make hearing aids reasonably necessary and still sit well below 20.5% binaural, in which case the insurer pays for the aids and no lump sum is payable. The assessment must be done by an ENT specialist listed by SIRA as a trained assessor of permanent impairment, who reports the binaural loss and the proportion caused by workplace noise. The claim goes to the employer or insurer with that report, a copy of the audiogram and a permanent impairment claim form. For claims made since 19 June 2012, section 66(1A) allows one permanent impairment claim per injury, so the timing of the assessment matters. Changes to the workers compensation laws that started on 1 July 2026 limit applications for assessment and further assessment, change how applications are made, and change how an assessment affects other entitlements. They do not apply to exempt workers, coal miners, volunteers, dust disease claims or injuries dated before 2002. SIRA tells workers who have not yet claimed a lump sum and want to that they must claim by 1 July 2028, and that anyone with an assessment on or after 1 July 2026 should get legal advice first. The Independent Review Office (13 94 76) can arrange that advice at no cost, which is the referral a clinic should give rather than an opinion on entitlement.
Hearing aid entitlement
A claim for hearing aids is a claim for medical expenses, and the test is whether the aids are reasonably necessary because of the work injury. Before approving or paying, the insurer looks at:
a hearing needs assessment report, including an audiogram, that recommends aids
medical information establishing that the loss is related to employment
a quote from a SIRA-approved hearing service provider that stays within the Fees Order maximums
a completed workers injury claim form.
SIRA’s current material sets no minimum binaural percentage for hearing aids. The 6% figure that still circulates comes from Schedule B of the 2014 Hearing Aids Fees Order, which limited aids to workers with at least 6% binaural loss where workplace noise was the main contributing factor. Since 1 July 2020 the Independent Review Office has also funded legal help for hearing aid claims whether or not the worker claims a lump sum at the same time. Aids can be replaced when they are lost or damaged and not covered by warranty or other insurance, or when the worker can no longer communicate effectively with the current aid. The provider completes SIRA form SIRA08022 (Request for replacement hearing aid), and if the worker’s hearing has not changed significantly the previous assessment can support the request. SIRA’s published material sets no fixed replacement interval, unlike Victoria’s five-year cycle. Exempt workers (police officers, paramedics, fire fighters, coal miners and prescribed volunteers) do not need a SIRA-approved provider or insurer pre-approval. The insurer still pays only for treatment that is reasonably necessary and supported by properly verified costs, so a clinic treating an exempt worker without approval carries the risk of a declined invoice.
Payment classification codes
The current schedule is the Workers Compensation (Hearing Aid Fees) Order 2024, effective 1 February 2024. Every invoice line must carry one of these SIRA payment classification codes. Fees exclude GST.
Code
Service
Maximum fee (excl. GST)
Conditions
AID004
Hearing needs assessment, audiologist
$237.70
Pre-approval waived for the initial assessment if the provider is SIRA-approved and the treating doctor has referred the worker to an ENT
AID005
Hearing needs assessment, audiometrist
$195.90
Same as AID004
AID006
Supply of hearing aid/s, including remote control and charger
Cost price, capped at $2,500.00 per aid
Covers ordering and delivery, a 30-day trial, and batteries and consumables for the first 12 months
AID007
Accessories (not remote control or charger)
Cost price including freight to the provider
Clinical justification expected
AID008
Handling fee
$349.70
One per supply of aid/s, monaural or binaural; not payable for accessory-only requests
AID009 (in person), AID309 (telehealth)
Fitting
$686.90
One fitting fee per aid/s; includes a device management plan
AID010 (in person), AID310 (telehealth)
Hearing rehabilitation
$686.90
Education, rehabilitation and counselling toward the worker’s communication goals
AID011
Batteries and consumables, 12 months
$141.60 per aid
Not before 12 months after initial supply
AID012
Review and minor maintenance
$42.90 per 15 minutes, maximum 1 hour
Not before 12 months after initial fitting
AID013
Repairs by manufacturer
Up to $461.50
Manufacturer’s repair invoice required
Insurer pre-approval is required for every item except the initial hearing needs assessment in the circumstances described for AID004. A standard binaural fitting billed at every maximum (AID004, two aids at the AID006 cap, AID008, AID009 and AID010) comes to $6,961.20 before GST, of which $5,000 is the device cap. The $2,500 per-aid cap was already in the 2014 Order and has not moved in twelve years. The audiologist assessment fee rose from $187.90 in 2014 to $214.20 in 2021, $225.50 in 2023 and $237.70 in 2024, then stopped. SIRA did not index hearing fees in February 2025 or February 2026; when other fees orders rose by up to 4.57% on 1 February 2026, SIRA said a separate hearing aid schedule would follow a structural review held in 2025. That replacement schedule could not be found on SIRA’s site at the time of writing, so confirm the current figures on SIRA’s fees page before invoicing. AH001 appears in none of these schedules. SIRA’s hearing orders from 2014 onward use AID codes only, and the lower-numbered AID items in the 2014 Order have since been replaced by the AID004 to AID013 series. Other schemes use different prefixes: WorkSafe Victoria bills hearing services under HSNC and HS codes and impairment assessments under ENT and IIH codes, and ReturnToWorkSA uses AU codes. If AH001 has appeared on an insurer remittance, portal or referral, ask the insurer which SIRA item it maps to before billing against it.
Practice requirements and invoicing
Only a SIRA-approved hearing service provider can treat a non-exempt NSW worker, and approval runs for three years before the provider must reapply through MySIRA. The hearing needs assessment report must include the worker’s clinical history, a hearing assessment conducted to AS/NZS 1269.4:2014, the worker’s communication goals, a recommendation for aids and any accessories with clinical rationale, and a rehabilitation plan. Telehealth must be delivered by videoconference unless it is unavailable, and in combination with in-person services unless the insurer has pre-approved telehealth-only delivery. The worker must request or consent to it, and the provider must judge it appropriate after weighing factors such as the need for physical assessment, the worker’s device and internet access, and any cognitive or physical barriers. Every invoice must show:
the worker’s first and last name and claim number
payee name, address, phone, email and ABN
the SIRA approval number and the name of the practitioner who delivered the service
the SIRA payment classification code and cost for each line
the date of service and an invoice date on or after the last service date listed.
Invoices must reach the insurer within 30 calendar days of the service. GST is added on top of the maximum fee where it applies. A provider must not ask the insurer for pre-payment, charge for cancellations or non-attendance, bill the worker directly, or charge a gap fee. Each of these rules corresponds to an invoice line an insurer can reject:
AID011 or AID012 billed within 12 months of the initial supply or fitting
a second AID008 handling fee or AID009 fitting fee for the same supply
AID013 without the manufacturer’s repair invoice attached
an AID006 amount above cost price or above $2,500 per aid
an invoice missing the claim number or payment classification code, or dated before the last service
an invoice lodged more than 30 days after the service
telehealth-only delivery without insurer pre-approval.
Incorrect use of an item can lead to repayment of what was paid. Failure to follow the Fees Order or SIRA’s guidelines can lead to a SIRA direction, and ignoring a direction is an offence. Fraud and knowingly false or misleading statements about a claim carry criminal penalties under sections 235A and 235C of the 1998 Act, and SIRA can refer misconduct to the Health Care Complaints Commission or the provider’s professional body.
Other states
Each scheme sets its own codes and fees, and NSW AID codes mean nothing to an interstate insurer. NSW workers treated interstate by a provider without SIRA approval are billed under provider number INT0000 at NSW maximum fees.
Scheme
Code family
Key figures
WorkSafe Victoria, non-contracted providers (from 1 July 2026)
HSNC, HS
Needs assessment $221.21 (audiologist), $191.88 (audiometrist); fitting package $1,025.36 monaural, $1,455.54 binaural, once per worker in five years; batteries $80 per device per year. Device prices are negotiated with manufacturers and confidential
WorkSafe Victoria, impairment assessments (from 1 July 2026)
ENT, IIH
ENT200 hearing loss assessment $2,007.54 excl. GST
ReturnToWorkSA
AU
Hearing aid at the provider’s wholesale price plus 5%, to a maximum of $2,020 per aid
WorkCover WA
Not applicable
10% hearing loss on an audiological test (5% for a subsequent claim) before a noise-induced hearing loss assessment can proceed
WorkCover Queensland
Panel
Industrial deafness hearing tests go to a tendered panel of audiology providers
Welcome to my clinic. With nearly 20 years of experience, I have dedicated my career to enhancing the hearing health of individuals across all stages of life, from infants to the elderly. My passion for Speech and Hearing Science was sparked early on, driven by the understanding that improved hearing significantly enhances education, behaviour, and overall well-being. My career has taken me from presenting research at the World Health Organization to working in rural communities in the Philippines, where I helped developed systems that improved health and educational outcomes for disadvantaged populations. Last year I completed a Doctorate in Audiology at A.T. Still University in Arizona. Dr Signe Steers (Peitersen) holds a Bachelor of Speech and Hearing science from Macquarie University, Sydney, A Masters in Clinical Audiology from Macquarie University Sydney, and a Doctor of Audiology from A.T. Still University Arizona. Signe is a full member of Audiology Australia and Independent Audiologists Australia.
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