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had to buy them on my own dime. Went with Phonak, sort of their mid-range model.

Larry, I bought hearing aids in December and I went with the high end Phonaks, rechargeable with streaming and all the bells and whistles (even though I already hear bells and whistles constantly in my head). A hunting buddy had been fitted with aids by the VA last year but he just didn't like them, so went back for a refit. They gave him a fresh set of the same top-end Phonaks that that I had purchased. He loves them.