July 25, 2008

Since the unveiling of www.hearingaidtaxcredit.org on April 24, 2008 more than 12,000 letters have been sent to Congress in support of tax credits for hearing aids. More importantly we are seeing results. 13 Reps and 3 Senators (from Missouri, California, Michigan, Texas Minnesota, Mississippi, Indiana, Nevada, Montana, Arkansas, Connecticut, and Maine) have co-sponsored the Hearing Aid Tax Credit (H.R.2329 and S.1410) after receiving multiple personal letters from their constituents. Members of Congress place real value on hearing from the voters who they are elected to serve, and every personal letter increases the likelihood that the Representative or Senator will consider the legislation worthy of his or her support.

We have now received close to 150 print placements on the bill, a PSA at www.healthyhearing.com and a letter in the syndicated column "Annie's Mailbox" (a daily/weekly piece from the 20 year long authors of Ann Landers). Some hearing health professionals are getting OpEd pieces or letters to the editor printed in their local newspapers and many manufacturers are now linking to the website via their own website.

Your continued help is important:

Have you informed all new hearing aid users of the bill? Hopefully by now you are placing a promotional card in each new hearing aid box. 800,000 people will purchase hearing aids over the remainder of the year; if 10% told 10 friends we could generate a lot of letters to Congress. We have provided a sample card to promote the website

Have you informed customers who purchase ALDS from you? Place a promotional message in all ALDs such as TV Ears or amplified telephones even if the individual is not a hearing aid user.

Do you have a link to www.hearingaidtaxcredit.org on your website? We have made it easy for you. Simply have your web master place this self explanatory logo on the front of your website with a URL link to the tax credit website.

Do you promote the site on your business card?

Have you sent an eBlast to your friends, relatives and past customers?

Have you conducted a post card campaign to your past customers? See our suggested postcard design.

Have you placed an OpEd piece in your local newspaper? We have written a suggested OpEd piece for placement in your local newspaper. Hearing health professionals are permitted to modify this piece to promote their practice. As an alternative see if your local editor will place our new NAPS release article (Winning in Washington: Possible Financial Help for Hearing Aids?) in their newspaper. Or the editors can download a high resolution copy at www.NAPSNET.com. To see if it has run in your local newspaper go to the following link.

Have you promoted the website in your community? Put up notices in physician offices, chiropractor offices, drug stores, food store bulletin boards, senior centers, assistive living and retirement communities, places of worship (newsletters, bulletin boards), day care centers, schools, places where boomers and seniors meet (golf courses, tennis clubs, bowling alley, etc)

Have you promoted the website in your patient newsletter?

Have you visited corporate personnel directors? If you currently do audiological screenings for corporations talk to the human resource executive to get an announcement in their corporate newsletter or for their bulletin board.

Have you personally written a letter to your Senators and Congressman?

In advance thanks for your continued work to pass this important legislation.