Just in time for Veterans’ Day, the Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program has announced that military veterans living with a hearing or speech loss are now automatically eligible for telecommunications equipment though the State of New Mexico Commission for Deaf & Hard of Hearing’s Telecommunication Equipment Distribution Program (TEDP).

Equipment includes amplified phones, text telephones (TTYs), signaling devices and smoke alarms are available to individuals who meet the following qualifications:
• A veteran with a hearing or speech loss and proof of an Honorable Discharge
• A veteran with a hearing or speech loss and documentation of service- related disability rating from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• A surviving spouse or child of a veteran who was killed in the line of duty and has a hearing or speech loss
• An active member of the New Mexico National Guard who has completed the required initial active-duty service

“Our veterans have dedicated their lives to protecting our way of life, and now through our Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program, we are honoring their service by offering veterans adaptive telecommunications equipment,” Shannon Smith, Director of Telecommunications & Technical Assistance.

TEDP provides specialized equipment to all qualified applicants whose disabilities prevent them from using standard telecommunications. To qualify for the program, individuals must be deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or speech disabled; be New Mexico residents and meet the income eligibility of having a gross household income of less than $50,000.00 per year. For more information,
please call 1.800.489.8536 or 505.881.8824 or visit http://www.cdhh.state.nm.us/TEDP.aspx.