Termination of Federal EHDI Grants

Earlier this week, the Academy learned that seven federal cooperative agreements funded by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) are being terminated. Despite our best advocacy efforts, the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Provider Education Center is among the affected programs with the termination effective December 16, 2025.

This abrupt decision has immediate and far-reaching consequences for infants and children who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing, as well as for the audiologists and hearing health professionals who serve them. As a result of these terminations, all work supported through the cooperative agreements must cease, halting critical provider education, training, and technical assistance efforts that strengthen EHDI systems nationwide.

EHDI programs are essential to the timely identification of hearing loss and the delivery of early, evidence-based intervention. Sustained federal investment has driven significant progress in newborn hearing screening, diagnostic follow-up, and family-centered, coordinated care. The termination of these grants threatens to disrupt that progress and places infants at increased risk for delayed diagnosis, delayed intervention, and poorer speech, language, educational, and developmental outcomes.

Audiologists play a central role across the EHDI continuum—from diagnostic evaluation and care coordination to early intervention and long-term hearing healthcare management. The loss of federal support for EHDI provider education weakens the infrastructure that ensures healthcare professionals understand referral pathways, evidence-based practices, and the critical timelines necessary to meet EHDI benchmarks. These disruptions may result in gaps in care for families during one of the most critical periods of child development.

The Academy remains committed to advancing access to timely, high-quality hearing healthcare for infants and children with hearing loss. The sudden withdrawal of these federal funds directly threatens that mission and risks reversing decades of progress in early hearing detection and intervention.

We regret the disruption this action causes for providers, state EHDI programs, and families across the country and remain committed to advocating for sustained, predictable federal investment in EHDI programs that protect and promote early hearing health.

Looking ahead, the Academy will actively work with Congress to pursue funding for EHDI initiatives through the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2026 and to restore funding for the affected programs. The Academy will continue to engage policymakers and coalition partners to underscore the critical importance of EHDI programs to infant hearing health and long-term outcomes.