Hearing Aid Grant (Sainik Welfare, Puducherry)

What is the Hearing Aid Grant under the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund?

Hearing Aid Grant is a welfare benefit paid from the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund by the Department of Sainik Welfare, Government of Puducherry. The grant provides Rs 25,000, once in a lifetime, towards the cost of a hearing aid for an ex-serviceman or the widow of an ex-serviceman registered with the department.

The Armed Forces Flag Day Fund is the national fund built from Flag Day collections each 7 December, administered locally through the Rajya Sainik Board. Puducherry uses it for a set of small, targeted appliance and distress grants rather than for general pensions.

Hearing loss is a common late consequence of service, artillery, armour, engine rooms and flight lines all take a toll, and a good digital hearing aid costs well beyond what a non-pensioner ex-serviceman can meet from a subsistence allowance. The grant closes that gap in a single payment.

Amounts on the department's Assistance from AFFD Fund page are the current authority. That page lists the Hearing Aid Grant at Rs 25,000 (once). An earlier rate of Rs 8,000 is still carried by national scheme aggregators; treat it as superseded but confirm at the counter, since the department itself notes that its published table is a quick reference and the government order on the subject is final in case of any discrepancy.

Key features

• Rs 25,000, once only.
• Funded from the Armed Forces Flag Day Fund.
• For registered ex-servicemen and widows of ex-servicemen only.
• ECHS members excluded.
• Claim within 3 months of purchase, with the bill and prescription.
• Credited by RTGS or NEFT.

Who is eligible for the hearing aid grant?

You can apply if:

• You are an ex-serviceman, as defined on the Department of Sainik Welfare's website, or the widow of an ex-serviceman.
• You are registered with the Department of Sainik Welfare, Puducherry. The department states plainly that all its schemes apply only to ex-servicemen and widows registered with it.
• You are not a member of the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS).
• You are applying within 3 months of the purchase of the hearing aid or the completion of treatment, with the bill and the relevant prescription.

You cannot apply if:

• You are an ECHS member. ECHS provides appliances through its own polyclinic route, and duplication is not allowed.
• You are not registered with the Department of Sainik Welfare, Puducherry. Register first; a claim cannot precede registration.
• You are re-employed as regular or deemed regular staff in a Government department, a Public Sector Undertaking or a private organisation, or you are a self-employed income tax assessee. The department's exclusion note applies to all grants not specially marked as exempt, and this one is not exempt.
• You have already drawn the Hearing Aid Grant once. It is a once-only benefit.
• More than 3 months have passed since the purchase.

Dependants of ex-servicemen are not eligible for this particular grant. The department's condition names ex-servicemen and widows of ex-servicemen only, unlike some other Flag Day Fund grants that extend to dependants.

How much is paid and how does the money reach you?

The grant is Rs 25,000, paid once. The amount is credited to the beneficiary's bank account through RTGS or NEFT, the department does not pay in cash and does not reimburse to a third party such as the hearing aid dealer.

It sits alongside two related appliance grants from the same fund: a Spectacle Grant of Rs 5,000 and a Denture Grant of Rs 40,000, each payable once, on the same conditions of registration, non-ECHS membership and a 3-month claim window with bill and prescription.

How to apply for the Hearing Aid Grant

1. Register with the department first, if you have not already. Follow the registration procedure published at sainik.py.gov.in. A widow should register within 3 months of the ex-serviceman's death so that benefits continue without a break.
2. Get the prescription and buy the hearing aid. Keep the audiology report or doctor's prescription and the original bill. Both are required, the department will not process a claim on a bill alone.
3. Obtain the application form. Download the prescribed form from the Assistance from AFFD Fund page at sainik.py.gov.in, where the Spectacle, Hearing Aid and Denture Grant forms are published together. Alternatively, visit the Rajya Sainik Board, Jawan Bhawan, Department of Sainik Welfare, 261, Lawspet Main Road, Pakkamudianpet, Lawspet, Puducherry - 605013, on a working day and ask for a hard copy.
4. Fill the form and attach the documents. Complete every mandatory field, paste a passport-size photograph, sign across it if required, and attach self-attested copies of the bill, prescription, discharge book or ex-serviceman identity card, bank passbook and the declarations regarding ECHS membership and re-employment.
5. Submit at the Rajya Sainik Board and collect the receipt. Hand the signed form and documents to the concerned authority. A receipt of the application is assigned to the applicant by the concerned authority — keep it for follow-up.

How do I check the status of my application?

The Department of Sainik Welfare's website carries a Track Your Application facility under its online services, which is the first place to look. Beyond that:

• Phone: +91-413-2253107, during the department's public hours of Monday to Friday, 2:30 pm to 5:00 pm.
• Email: sainik.pon@nic.in or dirdsw.pon@nic.in, quoting your registration number and the receipt reference.
• In person: at the Rajya Sainik Board, Jawan Bhawan, 261, Lawspet Main Road, Pakkamudianpet, Lawspet, Puducherry - 605013.

Once sanctioned, the amount arrives by RTGS or NEFT, so watch the bank account rather than the post.

Why are hearing aid grant claims rejected?

• ECHS membership. The single clearest disqualifier. Check your status before spending money on the aid.
• Not registered with the department. Registration with the Department of Sainik Welfare, Puducherry is a precondition for every Flag Day Fund grant.
• Claim filed after 3 months. The window runs from the purchase date on the bill.
• No prescription. A bill without a medical prescription or audiology report is incomplete.
• Re-employment or income tax assessee status. Applicants in regular re-employment or self-employed income tax assessees fall outside the scope.
• Already availed once. The grant cannot be claimed a second time, even for a replacement device.
• Bank details wrong. RTGS and NEFT fail on a wrong IFSC or a closed account.

What dates and figures matter?

• Rs 25,000. The grant, once only.
• 3 months, the claim window from purchase or completion of treatment.
• 3 months, the period within which a widow should register with the department after the ex-serviceman's death.
• Monday to Friday, 2:30 pm to 5:00 pm. The department's stated hours for queries and grievances.

How do I raise a grievance?

• Department of Sainik Welfare, Rajya Sainik Board, Jawan Bhawan, 261, Lawspet Main Road, Pakkamudianpet, Lawspet, Puducherry - 605013.
• Phone: +91-413-2253107.
• Email: sainik.pon@nic.in or dirdsw.pon@nic.in.
• Hours for queries, complaints, suggestions and grievances: Monday to Friday, 2:30 pm to 5:00 pm.
• Central portal: pgportal.gov.in, quoting your registration number and application receipt.

Where the department's published table and a government order differ, the department states that the government order on the subject is final. The relevant order for the Flag Day Fund grants, G.O. Ms. No. 22 dated 24 February 2020, is published on the department's website.