During its 1979 session, the General Assembly passed Senate Joint Resolution No. 172 creating this study.

To carry out the study, the State Health Commissioner appointed the following Committee members: Willard R. Ferguson, M.D., Director, Bureau of Crippled Children; Frank M. Butts, M. Ed, Director of Audiology and Speech Pathology, Medical College of Virginia; S. James Cutler, representing the Virginia Council for the Deaf; Thomas M. Deadmore, Purchase Manager, Department of Purchase and Supply; Pat T. Dewey, M.Ed, Speech and Hearing Services, Administrator, Bureau of Crippled Children; William Gates, representing the Association of Hearing Aid Dealers; K. Michael Kines, Administrator of Facilities Services, Virginia
Medical Assistance Program; Jose A. Lafitte, Ed D., State Coordinator, Hearing Impaired Program, Department of Rehabilitative Services; Pam R. Lathrop, State Planner, Office on Aging; Stephen R. Thomas, representing the Lions Club.

This is the Department of Health's interim report to study the possibility of establishing a program to sell or rent hearing aids to the poor. The Committee gathered statistics from several agencies to determine the volume involved.