Hearing Aids

[PaREF]

Had a question posed to me the other day. A player has hearing aids, not the kind that fit in the ear but ones that extend outside and around the ears. My fellow official was wondering if they should be treated as eyeglasses or as other medical devices like insulin pumps.

In Pa if a player has an insulin pump or other medical device, the coach/AD must send a request to the PIAA for a waiver in order for the player to participate. The waiver must be given to the officials at the beginning of the match. Obviously, no waiver is needed for eyeglasses.

In the case of the girl with hearing aids, the coach had not thought that he needed to ask for a waiver. I've sent an email to our state rules interpreter but have not heard back from her yet. Any ideas if this would require a waiver?