Hearing aid care for veterans

 

Are you a U.S. veteran struggling with hearing loss or ringing in the ears? If so you're not alone.

In 2020, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) reported "more than 1.3 million Veterans were receiving disability compensation for hearing loss, and more than 2.3 million received compensation for tinnitus." 

Additionally, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that veterans are 30% more likely to develop severe hearing loss compared to non-service members. This is especially the case for those who spent an extended amount of time deployed in combat zones.

Service members are routinely exposed to loud noise, blast injuries, and other on-the-job activities. As a result, hearing impairment and tinnitus are the most common service-related injuries that disable veterans, according to the VA.

How can you get VA hearing care benefits?

You may qualify for hearing health care in two ways:

• Free or low-cost hearing health care, including hearing aids, through VA health benefits.
• Monthly tax-free payments through VA disability compensation.

Apply

To receive hearing aids or similar devices (such as a cochlear implant), you first must qualify for VA healthcare. Once enrolled, veterans can seek out benefits for hearing tests, examinations and hearing aids. To begin this process, veterans can:

• apply for enrollment online,
• call 1-877-222-VETS,
• or visit a local VA facility or regional office.

If you get benefits

Once approved, you can schedule a hearing test at your local VA or an audiology clinic near you to determine if you have hearing loss and are in need of hearing aids.

Who is eligible?

Following VHA Directive 1034 issued in 2019 and 38 CFR 17.149 the VA will provide free hearing aids to veterans that fall into one or more of the following categories:

• "Those with any compensable service-connected disability" (see more on that, below)
• Those who are former Prisoners of War.
• Those who were awarded a Purple Heart. 
• Those in receipt of benefits under 38 U.S.C. 1151 
• Those in receipt of an increased pension based on the need for regular aid and attendance or by reason of being permanently house-bound.
• Those who have a visual or hearing impairment resulting from the existence of another medical condition for which the Veteran is receiving VA care, or which resulted from treatment of that medical condition.
• Those with significant functional or cognitive impairment evidenced by deficiencies in activities of daily living, but not including normally occurring visual or hearing impairments.
• Those visually or hearing impaired so severely that the provision of sensorineural aids is necessary to permit active participation in their own medical treatment."

Not all veterans will qualify for hearing aid benefits. If you do not fall under one of the above categories, but still believe that you are in need of hearing care services contact a representative at the nearest VA medical center to begin hearing loss treatment discussions. 

VA service-connected disability and compensation for hearing loss 

If you think you experienced hearing loss or another auditory problem as a result of service in the U.S. military, you may be eligible for disability compensation. This will entitle you to a certain amount of compensation per month.

Go to VA disability compensation to start the claims process.

Important to note: If your claim is approved, you automatically also become eligible for hearing care from the VA.

Can you see a local provider?

VA Community Care may be available to you if you live too far from a VA hearing clinic, or if there is a long waiting time to get an appointment at the closest VA facility.

What is a hearing test like?

During your initial evaluation, you'll meet with an audiologist or hearing specialist who will conduct a series of hearing tests, including a pure tone audiometry test to measure how you hear at different frequencies and volumes. Your results will be plotted on a chart known as an audiogram and these results can determine the severity of your hearing loss and will be used to determine your disability rating. 

How do VA ratings for tinnitus and hearing loss work?

The VA has a ratings system for tinnitus and hearing loss to help them make decisions on disability benefits. They are based in part on how much the VA believes your earning potential is impacted by these conditions. Knowing how ratings work is important as it directly affects the amount of compensation you receive and the benefits and services you are eligible for.

Hearing loss ratings for veterans are as follows:

• 0%: Minimal hearing loss that doesn't significantly impact daily life
• 10%: Mild hearing loss, may have difficulty hearing in noisy environments
• 20%: Moderate hearing loss, struggles to understand conversations without visual cues
• 30%: Moderately severe hearing loss, significant difficulty in most listening situations
• 40%: Severe hearing loss, cannot understand speech without amplification
• 50%: Profound hearing loss, even with hearing aids, communication is extremely difficult
• 60% to 100%: These higher ratings are rare and typically involve near-total deafness in both ears

If you have bilateral hearing loss (hearing loss in both ears), the VA considers the severity of loss in each ear separately and uses a formula to combine the two before determining a final percentage. So for example, if you have 30% in one ear and 50% in the other, your total would not be 80% but rather a combined result that would like be closer to 60%.

When it comes to tinnitus, 10% is the only rating available, regardless of severity or whether it affects one or both ears. If you have both tinnitus and hearing loss, the VA again will use a combination formula to determine your percentage and benefits.

It's also important to note that veterans can appeal their rating if they believe they have been assigned an incorrect percentage or if their hearing loss worsens over time. 

Veterans and tinnitus

Tinnitus is common in veterans. According to research published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) veterans experience tinnitus at twice the rate of the general population. 

Additionally, research from the American Journal of Audiology found that tinnitus rates in veterans more than tripled between 2001-2015.

If you have ringing in the ears, you may qualify for hearing care, disability payments, and the VA's progressive tinnitus management program.

Those interested should contact their local VA office for more information. Tinnitus has no known cure. However, several techniques can be used to help sufferers acclimate to the sound and manage their reactions to flare-ups. 

What are veterans saying about hearing aid care?

There can understandably be a lot of confusion around the rating system and qualifying for the right care and benefits. On the subreddit r/VeteransBenefits, users discuss frustration around tinnitus being capped at only a 10% rating. Some users mentioned that veterans may be able to get more benefits if tinnitus causes additional issues like depression or anxiety. 

Others encouraged getting tested for hearing loss as well, as having both conditions can lead to an increase in benefits and hearing aids can treat both hearing loss and tinnitus.

"I've had tinnitus since I left the Marine corps in 1974. Both sides 24x7. There is no cure, but recently I got a set of hearing aids from the VA, they don't completely mitigate the problem, but they help tremendously," said one commenter.

Users also stressed how important it was to have as much documentation as possible to prove a service connection, and to get a diagnosis for any secondary conditions that may be related to hearing loss or tinnitus.

Finally while expressing frustration at the process, many also encouraged other veterans to continue to advocate for themselves, seek out tinnitus and hearing loss support groups, and if they are able to, get treatment with hearing aids as soon as possible.

"I have hearing aids the VA gave me that are multipurpose ... and they make a big difference," noted one veteran. "Going to go to the on the 5th of May to get my new hearing aids because I have had mine for 5 years already ... I teared up because I could finally tell a big difference when I first got them."