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New York Hearing Instrument Specialist — Requirements & Free Practice

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Hearing Aid Dispenser — Individual Certificate of Registration

Individual authorization to dispense hearing aids; distinct from the registration of a retail business.

Licensing authority: New York State Department of State, Division of Licensing Services · Application information

Initial registration as a New York licensed audiologist
New York State Hearing Aid Dispenser Practical Test of Proficiency (assessment without a question bank)
After Denial
GBL §800(2): after denial, no registration is issued for at least six months and thereafter only at the Secretary’s discretion.
Application
Submit a complete, signed and verified application, required documentation and applicable fees; provide criminal, disciplinary and child-support disclosures required by the application.
Audiologist License
Provide a copy of current New York audiologist licensure under Education Law Article 159.
Department Waiver
The Department of State FAQ, under “I am a licensed New York State audiologist. Do I need to complete an examination to become a registered hearing aid dispenser?”, states: “No, hearing aid dispenser applicants licensed pursuant to Article 159 of the Education Law are waived of the NYS hearing aid dispenser examination requirement. If you are a New York State audiologist, you are not required to pass the written or practical portions of the hearing aid dispenser exam.” The application requests the audiology license and fee. The statutory practical examination alternative is retained in the requirement tree; this lower-ranked implementing waiver is recorded for the applicant.
Discipline
GBL §790(1)(b)(iv): no suspended or revoked hearing-aid-dispensing authorization.
Not For Profit Fee Exemption
GBL §797(8) and DOS application page 6 exempt qualifying employees of not-for-profit corporations from individual and temporary registration fees, but not qualifications or examination fees; this is a fee condition, not a separate credential.
Statutory Experience Alternative
GBL §790(1)(b)(iii) permits evidence of dispensing experience satisfactory to the Secretary instead of a passing practical test.
Initial registration by training and examination

All of the following:

After Denial
GBL §800(2): after denial, no registration is issued for at least six months and thereafter only at the Secretary’s discretion.
Age
At least 21 years old.
Application
Submit a complete, signed and verified application, required documentation and applicable fees; provide criminal, disciplinary and child-support disclosures required by the application.
Character
Good moral character; no suspended or revoked authorization to dispense hearing aids under GBL §790(1)(a).
Education
High school diploma or equivalent; two years of accredited college coursework or equivalent, with proof of a two-year degree or 60 credit hours and Secretary-approved postsecondary coursework.
Exam Attempts
GBL §796(8): up to three attempts during temporary registration and its renewal; a component passed within the preceding six months need not be retaken for final passage. Three failures require repeating the training program and course.
Exam Eligibility
GBL §796(6): satisfactory course completion and at least six months of training before taking the examinations; 19 NYCRR §192.5 permits up to three months of course credit but requires completion of the direct-supervision period.
Not For Profit Fee Exemption
GBL §797(8) and DOS application page 6 exempt qualifying employees of not-for-profit corporations from individual and temporary registration fees, but not qualifications or examination fees; this is a fee condition, not a separate credential.
Score Validity
The written examination bulletin states that examination results are valid for two years; the statutory six-month component-retake exemption is separately retained.
Training
Complete the 12-month supervised training program and approved course of instruction. Rule 192.4 permits approved theory education and comparable education credit, with the remaining practical hours and required direct supervision.
Initial registration based on equivalent or higher out of state licensure
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
After Denial
GBL §800(2): after denial, no registration is issued for at least six months and thereafter only at the Secretary’s discretion.
Application
Submit a complete, signed and verified application, required documentation and applicable fees; provide criminal, disciplinary and child-support disclosures required by the application.
Equivalence
The Secretary must determine that the requirements of that license are equivalent to or higher than New York’s; issuance is discretionary. The Department evaluates qualifications individually.
License Held
Hold a current hearing aid dispenser license or registration elsewhere and provide proof.
Not For Profit Fee Exemption
GBL §797(8) and DOS application page 6 exempt qualifying employees of not-for-profit corporations from individual and temporary registration fees, but not qualifications or examination fees; this is a fee condition, not a separate credential.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Biennial renewal — licensed audiologist
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
After Denial
GBL §800(2): after denial, no registration is issued for at least six months and thereafter only at the Secretary’s discretion.
Application
Submit a complete, signed and verified application, required documentation and applicable fees; provide criminal, disciplinary and child-support disclosures required by the application.
Continuing Education
Licensed audiologists registered under GBL §790(1)(b) complete four dispensing-related continuing-education hours, including at least one each in infection control, telecoil/assistive devices and law/regulations/professional conduct.
Current Registration
Renew an existing individual certificate biennially, with renewal application, fee and affirmation of compliance; retain applicable testing-room certification and annual equipment-calibration certification.
Eligibility
Hold New York audiologist licensure and an existing individual dispenser registration.
Not For Profit Fee Exemption
GBL §797(8) and DOS application page 6 exempt qualifying employees of not-for-profit corporations from individual and temporary registration fees, but not qualifications or examination fees; this is a fee condition, not a separate credential.
Renewal Form Discrepancy
DOS-1534 (Rev. 03/26), page 2, contains older two-hour infection-control language and says the post-2019 subjects are “in addition to the remaining 4 hours of education.” GBL §794(2), 19 NYCRR §192.7(w), the application and FAQ specify four total hours with the three required topics; the higher-ranked rule controls.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Biennial renewal — non audiologist dispenser
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
After Denial
GBL §800(2): after denial, no registration is issued for at least six months and thereafter only at the Secretary’s discretion.
Application
Submit a complete, signed and verified application, required documentation and applicable fees; provide criminal, disciplinary and child-support disclosures required by the application.
Continuing Education
Complete 20 approved continuing-education hours per registration period, including at least one each in infection control, telecoil/assistive devices and law/regulations/professional conduct.
Current Registration
Renew an existing individual certificate biennially, with renewal application, fee and affirmation of compliance; retain applicable testing-room certification and annual equipment-calibration certification.
Eligibility
Hold an individual dispenser registration other than the audiologist category; existing grandfathered registrations renew on these continuing-education terms.
Not For Profit Fee Exemption
GBL §797(8) and DOS application page 6 exempt qualifying employees of not-for-profit corporations from individual and temporary registration fees, but not qualifications or examination fees; this is a fee condition, not a separate credential.
Renewal Form Discrepancy
DOS-1534 (Rev. 03/26), page 2, contains older two-hour infection-control language and says post-2019 topics are “in addition to the remaining 20 hours of approved education.” Its page 1 affirmation, GBL §794(1), 19 NYCRR §192.7(v), the application and FAQ specify 20 total hours with the three required topics; the higher-ranked rule controls.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

New York State Hearing Aid Dispenser Practical Test of Proficiency

This assessment does not have a question bank.

Provider
New York State Department of State
Format
Observed and rated performance: audiometric examination and ear mold impression
Time limit
Part I: 30 minutes; Part II: 20 minutes
Examination outline
  • AUDIOMETRIC EXAMINATION
    • Set up the audiometer, implements, supplies and protected surface
    • Manually recalibrate the audiometer for speech testing
    • Sanitize hands and inspect the examiner’s ears
    • Pure Tone Air Conduction in both ears; plateau masking if indicated
    • Pure Tone Bone Conduction in both ears; plateau masking if indicated
    • Speech Reception Threshold of the poorer ear and Pure Tone Average
    • MCL of the poorer ear; masking if indicated
    • UCL of the poorer ear
    • Speech Discrimination of the poorer ear
    • Describe the type and degree of hearing loss and the appropriate client recommendation
    • Pack supplies and equipment for the earmold portion
  • EAR MOLD IMPRESSION
    • Set up supplies and equipment
    • Seat the model, sanitize hands, inspect the ear and assess whether to proceed
    • Select and place an appropriate ear dam
    • Prepare impression material
    • Insert impression material; provide critical initial-fitting client information while it sets
    • Remove and inspect the impression using infection control procedures
    • Assess suitability from CIC to Full Shell and explain unacceptable characteristics
    • Inspect the model’s ear and permit examiner inspection
    • Clean the work area, pack equipment and supply the impression storage bag
Examination sources

New York State Hearing Aid Dispenser Written Examination

Provider
New York State Department of State
Format
Multiple choice
Time limit
2½ hours
Passing score
Results reported as passed or failed; numerical score not supplied
Examination outline
  • License law
  • Puretone audiometry
  • Hearing analysis
  • Hearing aids and instruments
  • Infection control
  • Acoustics
  • Anatomy and physiology of the human ear
  • Disorders of hearing
  • Professional conduct
Examination sources