The Assistance to Disabled Persons for Purchase/Fitting of Aids and Appliances (ADIP) Scheme is a government initiative aimed at providing support for individuals with disabilities, particularly those with hearing impairments. Here is a detailed overview of the eligibility criteria and required documents to avail the benefits under this scheme.
General Eligibility Criteria
- Citizenship: The applicant must be a citizen of India.
- Disability Certification: The applicant must hold a disability certificate confirming 40% or more disability, or a specific hearing disability as per the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, 2016.
- Income Criteria:
- Income up to Rs. 22,500/- per month: Full cost of the hearing aid or appliance will be covered.
- Income between Rs. 22,501/- to Rs. 30,000/- per month: 50% of the cost of the hearing aid or appliance will be covered.
- Cochlear Implantation: The scheme covers only unilateral cochlear implantation (one ear).
- Reservation: SC/ST/OBC beneficiaries will receive reservations in line with government norms. Additionally, at least 25% of the total beneficiaries should be girls.
Specific Criteria for Children with Pre-lingual Hearing Loss (Aged 1 to 5 Years)
- Age: The child should be below 5 years of age at the time of application.
- Hearing Loss: The child must have bilateral severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss.
- Hearing Aid Trial: The child should have used behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids for a minimum of 3 months to assess benefit.
- Limited Benefit from Hearing Aids: Little or no improvement in hearing, speech, language skills, or comprehension from the hearing aids.
- Surgical Eligibility: There should be no medical contraindications to surgery or cochlear implantation.
- No Associated Impairments: Children should not have conditions like developmental delay, autism, or other disorders that may impact the success of cochlear implantation.
- Cochlear Integrity: No cochlear anomalies, nerve damage, or infections that could affect the implantation.
- Parental Motivation: Parents or caregivers must be committed to undergoing habilitation both before and after surgery.
Specific Criteria for Children with Acquired Hearing Loss (Aged 5 to 18 Years)
- Age: The child should be between 5 and 18 years old at the time of application.
- Hearing Loss: Bilateral severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss.
- Hearing Aid Trial: Use of BTE hearing aids for a minimum of 3 months.
- Limited Benefit from Conventional Hearing Aids: The child shows little or no benefit in terms of hearing, speech, or language comprehension from conventional hearing aids.
- Other Conditions: Medical and auditory criteria (points 5 to 9) from the pre-lingual hearing loss section also apply here.
- Realistic Expectations: The child and family should have realistic expectations from cochlear implantation and its outcomes.
Documents Required for Submission
- Birth Certificate of the child.
- Aadhar Card of the child.
- Disability Certificate confirming hearing impairment.
- Caste Certificate (if applicable).
- Income Certificate of parents/guardians.
- HRCT (Temporal Bone) Report.
- MRI (Inner Ear) Report.
- Audiology Reports:
- Pure tone audiogram or Behavioural Observation Audiometry (BOA) or Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA) report.
- Impedance/Immitance Audiometry Report.
- Oto-acoustic Emission (OAE) Report.
- Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry (BERA) Report.
- Speech-Language Assessment report.
- Psychological Assessment report.
- Aided Audiogram report for the left ear.
- Aided Audiogram report for the right ear.
Conclusion
The ADIP Scheme provides crucial financial assistance for children with hearing disabilities, particularly for cochlear implants. To benefit from this scheme, it’s essential to meet both the general and specific eligibility criteria and submit the required documents for the application process. The program ensures inclusivity by offering aid to economically disadvantaged families while also promoting equal access to hearing aid devices for girls and children from marginalized communities.
