I think the research to find how much is actually spent on ALD...

I think the research to find how much is actually spent on ALD devices is actually much more useful than the headline figure of 539M HSP program, tbh.

There would be certain measurable hearing deficiencies required to be met to qualify for devices. I recently took my pensioner mother to see an audiologist under the HSP program and whilst she feels she has a hearing deficiency (which I can attest to), she didn't meet the thresholds to get a free hearing aid, under the program. She was told she needed to spend around $3K-$5K at her own expense to get one. She wasn't offered any ALD options and I am not sure whether none exist to help her or if she did not qualify based on her hearing deficiency. So my question to any audiologists out there who are familiar with the program is, how easy/difficult is it to qualify for free ALD devices under the program? What kind of evidence does the govt need before they subsidize an ALD for an individual?