OAA MEMBERSHIP

Thank you for your interest in becoming a member of the Ohio Academy of Audiology! 

What is the cost of membership to the Ohio Academy of Audiology?

  • Fellows: Audiologists who possess a graduate degree in Audiology from a regionally accredited academic institution and are currently licensed to practice audiology and resides in or practices audiology in the State of Ohio have the option for a 1 year membership** (July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026) for $100 or a 2 year membership** (July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2027) for $170.

  • New Graduates who sign up for a 1 year membership** ($100) will get a second year for free immediately following graduation from a residential audiology program (Au.D. or Ph.D). 

  • Students can sign-up for an Associate Membership while actively pursuing a graduate degree in audiology in a full-time residential Doctor of Audiology program in the State of Ohio. The cost of Associate Membership is $25 for one year**.

**Please note that our membership calendar year runs July 1st through June 30th. Therefore, ALL memberships, regardless of their start date, always carry an expiration date of June 30th. If you join during our membership drive which begins on May 15th, your membership begins immediately - you don't have to wait until July 1st to take advantage of membership benefits.

What are the Benefits of Being a Member of OAA?

“Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.” - John F. Kennedy

As we near the start of our new membership year, we would ask you to keep this statement in mind and think about how it applies to your membership in OAA.

Times are tight - we know this. But our membership dues are relatively inexpensive - comparable to a couple of Starbucks drinks a month. Nearly 50% of the membership dues you pay go directly to the critical effort of funding our voice at the legislative level.

Our legislative voice is guided by GPG (Governmental Policy Group, our professional lobbying group) whom we contract with alongside OSHGAC. OSHGAC, aka GAC, is the Ohio Speech and Hearing Governmental Affairs Coalition and includes representatives from OAA, Ohio Speech and Educational Audiology Coalition, Ohio Speech Language and Hearing Association, and the Ohio Council of Speech and Hearing Administrators. This past year, some of our GAC partner member organizations had to significantly reduce their contribution to our lobbying endeavors due to substantial decreases in membership numbers. This has caused significant (and unexpected) strain to our budget and we were forced to reduce our service level with GPG. Thankfully Madeline’s Bill was passed right under the wire (see below), but if budgets for GAC organizations like ours continue to decline, we will be at risk of missing the chance to have our voices heard when important legislation arises that could affect our scope of practice and reimbursement. Your membership has so much more value than a couple of Starbucks drinks.

What Does OAA Do With My Membership Dues?

Of course we still want to tell you what your dollars are funding! Your dues are diligently allocated to provide benefits to the field of audiology in Ohio through multiple activities including:

  • Engaging the services of the lobbying firm GPG which, in over 20 years of our partnership, has helped us build relationships that are critical in our advocacy efforts with the government in the state of Ohio. These professional lobbyists work with GAC to help us get in front of the right people at the right time so GAC can educate legislators on our needs. Thanks to this partnership, these are some of the recent accomplishments:

    • Madeline’s Law: On December 19, 2024, around 2:30 am, House Bill 315 was passed by the Ohio General Assembly. Among the provisions was what we audiologists have known as Madeline’s Law which was first introduced to the Ohio legislature in 2019. It requires health benefit plans to cover the expense of hearing aids and related services for children 21 years of age and younger.

    • Securing substantial increases to Medicaid reimbursement rates.

    • Participating in a taskforce with Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities to provide guidance on how to best support providers with reimbursement packages

  • Putting on the Ohio Audiology Conference (OAC) allowing us to come together to learn from a variety of amazing presenters, see what the students are researching, and honor our colleagues and their contributions to the field.

  • Providing CEU opportunities periodically throughout the year as well as during the OAC

  • Periodically holding the “Mapping Audiology’s Future in Ohio” (MAFO) conference that helps foster leadership in young professionals - this will be happening in October so more to come soon on participation and nominations!

  • And new this year: the OAA Mentorship Program! This will be a supportive networking program for audiologists to continue to learn, grow, and collaborate within the field. 

How Do I Sign Up?

We thought you'd never ask! Just click on the Membership Application to sign up today or Renew Membership to renew your current membership. Please contact membership chair Lisa Reedy ([email protected]) if you have any specific questions about OAA membership.