Nicholas Reed (NR): Hearing care is a comprehensive process that involves crucial support services offered by audiologists. The OTC Hearing Aid Act of 2017 will improve accessto devices and may spur technologic innovations that allowfor improved self-fitting. It is important to acknowledge thatimprovements in self-fitting technology will allow some adultsto achieve optimal care outcomes without an audiologist;however, many, many adults will still require support servicesto achieve the best outcomes. Our findings suggest that justowning a hearing aid alone does not guarantee improvedhearing outcomes and access to services to maximize benefitare limited by financial barriers. In the context of pending OTChearing aids, these results lend support for initiatives to improve access to services.