A workers' compensation change buried in S3297 eliminates the exemption that kept employers from paying for hearing aids—effective immediately upon passage.
Most Rhode Island professional services owners don't realize that their workers' compensation obligations just expanded. Buried in S3297, a bill focused on court jurisdiction in workers' comp cases, is a provision that removes a long-standing exemption: employers are no longer protected from paying for hearing aids and amplification devices for injured workers.
Until now, Rhode Island's workers' compensation statute included a specific carve-out. When an injured worker needed medical treatment—including hearing aids or other amplification devices—employers had to cover it, with one exception: hearing aids and amplification devices were explicitly excluded. Employers "shall not be liable to pay for or provide hearing aids or other amplification devices."
S3297 strikes that exemption. Section 2 of the bill amends § 28-33-5 (page 6 of the legislation) by removing the proviso that protected employers from this cost. The result is straightforward: hearing aids and amplification devices are now treated like any other required medical benefit under workers' compensation. If an injured worker needs them as part of their recovery, the employer must pay.
This applies to all employers in Rhode Island with workers' compensation insurance—from solo practitioners to mid-sized firms. It's particularly relevant for professional services businesses where workplace injuries might result in hearing loss: construction-adjacent work, manufacturing, facilities management, or any operation with equipment noise exposure.
The change doesn't distinguish by company size. A small accounting firm with one employee who suffers a work-related hearing injury is subject to the same requirement as a larger operation.
Hearing aids are not a one-time cost. Modern devices range significantly in price, and workers' compensation typically covers replacement, repair, and maintenance over time. For an injured worker with a permanent hearing loss, this represents an ongoing liability for the employer—potentially spanning years or decades of the worker's career and retirement.
This is a genuine change in your workers' compensation exposure. If you've been operating under the assumption that hearing aid costs were your workers' comp carrier's problem to decline, that assumption no longer holds. You should review your current workers' compensation policy and discuss this change with your insurance broker or agent to understand how it affects your coverage and premiums.
The effective date is upon passage of S3297. There is no phase-in period or delayed implementation.
If you manage workers' compensation for your business, now is the time to confirm your understanding of this change with your insurance provider. Ask specifically how your policy handles hearing aid and amplification device claims under the new statute. If you're uncertain whether your business could face this exposure, a conversation with your broker is worthwhile.
Source: Rhode Island S3297, Section 2 (amending § 28-33-5), page 6.