Press release

Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs seeks public input on occupational hearing loss evaluation methods

Department of Labor · Jun 23, 2026

News Release

Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs seeks public input on occupational hearing loss evaluation methods

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs is inviting public comment on the comparative reliability and validity of hearing testing methods and best practices for evaluating occupational hearing loss.

In a request for information , the OWCP is asking for input from audiologists, otolaryngologists, medical professionals, medical associations, employees, employers, insurance carriers, and other interested parties on the reliability and validity of audiograms compared with other objective tests, including the auditory brainstem response, auditory steady state response, otoacoustic emissions, and others. The agency is also soliciting comments on the current standards for administering these tests and the criteria used to evaluate hearing impairment.

Those interested in commenting should submit comments on www.regulations.gov , and include the agency name and regulatory information number for this rulemaking in their submissions. Commenters should not include personally identifiable information or confidential business information that they do not want publicly disclosed. Written comments must be received by Oct. 22, 2026.

The rulemaking docket, background documents, and all submitted comments will be available at www.regulations.gov . Although some materials, such as copyrighted material, may not be available through the website, the complete rulemaking record will be available for inspection at OWCP.

Read the request for information .

Agency

Office of Workers' Compensation Programs

Date

June 23, 2026

Release Number

26-988-NAT

Media Contact: Lorynn Holloway

Phone Number

(202) 693-4652

Email

holloway.lorynn.n@dol.gov

Media Contact: Kristen Knebel

Phone Number

202-693-3435

Email

knebel.kristen.cr@dol.gov

Share This

-

-

-

-

More News Releases

Previous Federal court enters consent order requiring 3 Maine sports bars to pay $51K in back wages to 47 employees

Next Up US Department of Labor recovers $1.7M in back wages for 1,666 hourly employees denied overtime by multi-trade contractor

Read at Department of Labor