Definitions

As used in this article 230, unless the context otherwise requires: (1) "Apprentice" means a person who holds a current license as an apprentice pursuant to this article 230. (2) "Dispense", with regard to a hearing aid, means to sell or transfer title, possession, or the right to use by lease, bailment, or any other method. The term does not apply to wholesale transactions with distributors or dealers. (3) (a) "Hearing aid" means a wearable device designed or offered to be customized for the purpose of compensating for impaired human hearing and includes: (I) Any parts, attachments, or accessories to the instrument or device, as defined in rules adopted by the director; and (II) Ear molds, excluding batteries and cords. (b) The term does not include a surgically implanted hearing device. (4) "Hearing aid provider" means a person engaged in the practice of dispensing, fitting, or dealing in hearing aids. (5) "Practice of dispensing, fitting, or dealing in hearing aids" includes: (a) Selecting and adapting hearing aids for sale; (b) Testing human hearing for purposes of selecting and adapting hearing aids for sale; and (c) Making impressions for ear molds and counseling and instructing prospective users for purposes of selecting, fitting, adapting, or selling hearing aids. (6) "Surgically implanted hearing device" means a device that is designed to produce useful hearing sensations to a person with a hearing impairment and that has, as one or more components, a unit that is surgically implanted into the ear, skull, or other interior part of the body. The term includes any associated unit that may be worn on the body.