There is a war being waged on hearing loss for many Veterans. Tinnitus and hearing loss are the most common service-related medical conditions. The Department of Veteran Affairs, or the VA, provides free hearing aids for Veterans who qualify. However, not all Veterans with a hearing loss meet the criteria set by the VA to qualify. Although hearing loss is one of the most commonly occurring conditions resulting from military service, it can also one of the most difficult to get service connected and have rated accurately.
The primary reason that receiving hearing aids and other health services through the VA may be difficult for many Veterans is because the VA has its own rating system to determine severity and coverage. Understanding the criteria for these ratings may help Veterans to have a better chance of successfully filing a claim with the VA and receiving needed coverage. Tinnitus refers to the condition in which there is a persistent perception of external noise that is not there. Ringing in the ears is often associated with Tinnitus, but it can also include whistling, buzzing, hissing and clicking sounds. Regardless of the severity and occurrence of tinnitus, the VA issues a maximum rating of 10% for this condition, unlike other service-related injuries and conditions. Veterans experiencing hearing loss may also experience difficulty with VA eligibility because of the severity of rating criteria. It can be difficult to score above 0% unless profoundly hard of hearing or nearly completely deaf.
In order to increase chances of a claim being accepted, it is best to have as much objective proof and documentation of the hearing loss as possible. While tinnitus can be more difficult to prove since only the affected individual can hear it, there are ways to prove or strengthen a case with the VA in this instance too. To help prove tinnitus, it is recommended that the Veteran bring service records or lay statements to document exposure to loud noise during military service. Those who experience hearing loss or a worsening or a preexisting hearing loss, should consider bringing an audiogram demonstrating the change in hearing before and post-service. It is also better to act sooner rather than later as it is much more difficult to get a service-connected hearing loss claim awarded if it has been 12 months or more since a Veteran has been out of the military. Both Veterans experiencing tinnitus and hearing loss can greatly strengthen their VA claim with a nexus letter. A nexus letter is an evidence-based document prepared by a physician or other medical professional to help establish a connection between the condition and military service.
Veterans who are denied coverage or free hearing aids from the VA still have other options and resources to explore. There are funds and programs offered to assist Veterans who are low-income and who do not have other resources available or are ineligible for VA services. Below we explore a few of these resources from hearing aid manufacturers who offer aid for Veterans to other organizations dedicated to assisting Veterans in receiving the care and assistive devices they need.
Hearing aid manufacturers Miracle-Ear and Starkey both have programs to provide hearing aids at dramatically reduced prices or no cost to low-income individuals. The Miracle-Ear Foundation, established in 1990, offers their Gift of Sound program to issue free hearing aids to those who would otherwise be unable to afford this assistive device. Starkey’s Neighbors in Need program offers hearing aids at a low cost to those who have trouble affording them including Veterans and active military.
The Hearing Aid Project provides hearing aids to those in need through the donations of others. Hearing aids that are no longer being used can be donated and the Hearing Aid
Project will remanufacture the devices to provide hearing aids to someone who is unable to afford the cost of purchasing them. Cash donations can also be made to the Hearing Aid Project who uses the money to purchase both new and remanufactured hearing aids. In order to receive an assistive device from the Hearing Aid Project, interested individuals must apply, however, it is available to low-income Veterans and those whose benefits or insurance will not cover hearing aids.
The Retiree-At-Cost Hearing Aid Program (RACHP) or Retiree Hearing Aid Purchase Program (RHAPP) allows military retirees and Veterans to purchase hearing aids at a significantly lower cost. Veterans purchase the hearing aids they would like at a set government price, and can usually purchase two hearing aids for less than $2000. In order to be eligible for this program, Veterans must be registered with the Federal Health Care Center (FHCC) and be able to travel to a clinic location
The Help America Hear program provides new and high-quality hearing aids at greatly reduced cost to individuals with low-income. This program is intended to serve as a final resource for those without the means to afford hearing aids and who do not have any other financial options. Those interested in this program must apply and be selected. In order to be eligible, hopeful applicants need to fall into one of the three set tiers, based on annual income. Depending on which tier they fall into, this program allows hearing aid recipients to receive a pair for $250, $600 or $1000 dollars. Help America Hear is made possible by the healthcare professionals and hearing aid manufacturers who donate their service and products.
InnoCaption provides real-time captioning technology making phone calls easy and accessible for the deaf and hard of hearing community. Offered at no cost to individuals with hearing loss because we are certified by the FCC. InnoCaption is the only mobile app that offers real-time captioning of phone calls through live stenographers and automated speech recognition software. The choice is yours.
InnoCaption proporciona tecnología de subtitulado en tiempo real que hace que las llamadas telefónicas sean fáciles y accesibles para la comunidad de personas sordas y con problemas de audición. Se ofrece sin coste alguno para las personas con pérdida auditiva porque estamos certificados por la FCC. InnoCaption es la única aplicación móvil que ofrece subtitulación en tiempo real de llamadas telefónicas mediante taquígrafos en directo y software de reconocimiento automático del habla. Usted elige.
