I am writing as a concerned constituent supportive of the mission of the American Cochlear Implant Alliance asking you to ensure the full staffing and funding of the The Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program (EHDI).
The EHDI Act was first passed by Congress in 1999 and was last renewed in 2022 (P.L. 117-241). It is aimed at identifying and serving infants with hearing loss through universal newborn hearing screening, diagnostic follow-up, and referral to early intervention services. Prior to EHDI , less than 10 percent of newborns in the U.S. were screened for hearing loss. Now, 98 percent of newborns are screened for hearing loss in the U.S. annually—data collected by the CDC.
Before the Federal EHDI program was initiated with implementation in all 50 states, the average age for hearing loss identification in young children was between two and three years of age. This delay meant many children missed the critical period for language development.
EHDI programs include hearing screening, audiological diagnostic evaluations, and early intervention (including medical services, early intervention programs, and family support) to enhance language, communication, cognitive, and social skill development—all needed to support a child’s success in education and other aspects of life.
Children with severe to profound hearing loss who are identified early and receive appropriate early intervention services achieve age-appropriate language whereas those who are identified and receive services later often approach typical language but on average do not reach the same language milestones (Cejas, JAMA Oto, 2023). Children with lesser levels of hearing loss also benefit importantly from early intervention and services.
Current funding to the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) helps states implement the Act and ensure that children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing have optimal developmental outcomes. Most recently, state EHDI programs were charged with completing language assessment of children; this element is documented by the CDC providing national data on progress in serving children and where programmatic changes need to be made. Almost all CDC EHDI staff have been placed on administrative leave. The data collection and assessment functions previously completed by the CDC have been discontinued. If CDC staff are not reinstated, data critical to successful early screening and intervention will be lost. The President’s Recommended Budget for FY26 provides zero funding for EHDI programs (a reduction of $17 million authorized by P.L. 117-241). If HRSA funding is not replaced and if CDC staff are not reinstated, children affected will lose life-long opportunities.
