Approximately 37.5 million Americans are affected by hearing loss, including more than half of those over the age of 75. Hearing problems–including tinnitus, a ringing in the ears–is by far the most prevalent service-connected disability amongst veterans.

How to Get Hearing Loss Service-Connected

To receive VA disability benefits for hearing loss, veterans must prove to the VA that their hearing loss is a result of their time in service. For direct service connection, you must establish the following:

1. A current diagnosis of a hearing condition
2. Evidence of an event that caused the condition, and
3. A medical opinion linking the current hearing condition to the event in service, otherwise known as a nexus.

If you are diagnosed with both hearing loss and tinnitus, you may be entitled to one separate rating for hearing loss and another separate rating for tinnitus. 

VA Disability Ratings for Hearing Loss

Once service connection is established, the VA will assign a disability rating based on the severity of the hearing loss. The more severe your hearing loss, the higher your rating.

To measure the severity, the VA takes the results of a veteran’s puretone threshold test (see below) and averages it to each ear. The Numeric Designation of Hearing Impairment Based on Puretone Threshold Average and Speech Discrimination is a chart that is used to determine this.

The table, shown below, is utilized with the following method:

• First find the Roman numeral on the left side for the ear that has the greater auditory function (the ear you hear better out of).
• Next, utilizing the top (horizontal) section of roman numerals, locate the ear with the lesser auditory function (the one you hear worse out of). 
• Finally, find where these two numbers intersect, which will indicate your VA disability rating.

Increasing Your Hearing Loss Rating

Disability ratings are based on specific hearing tests, therefore it is difficult for veterans to receive a rating for hearing loss higher than the one assigned to them on test results alone.

However, veterans can submit additional evidence that helps support their claim that they are warranted a higher rating. For example, lay testimonies can be used from family members and friends that describe hearing-related issues.

Types of Hearing Loss

• Conductive (outer or middle ear)
• Sensorineural (inner ear)
• Mixed (combination of the two)

Symptoms of Hearing Loss

• Muffling of speech and other sounds
• Difficulty understanding words, especially against background noise or in a crowd
• Trouble hearing consonants
• Frequently asking others to speak more slowly, clearly and loudly
• Needing to turn up the volume on the television or radio
• Withdrawal from conversations
• Avoidance of some social settings

Causes of Hearing Loss

• Damage to the inner ear. Exposure to loud noise may cause wear and tear on the hairs or nerve cells in the cochlea that send sound signals to the brain.

• Gradual buildup of earwax. Earwax can block the ear canal and prevent the conduction of sound waves. Earwax removal can help your hearing. 

• Ear infection and abnormal bone growths or tumors. In the outer and middle ear, any of these can cause hearing loss.

• Ruptured eardrum (tympanic membrane perforation). Loud blasts of noise, sudden changes in pressure, poking your eardrum with a sharp object and infections can cause your eardrum to rupture and affect your hearing.

How Hearing Loss is Diagnosed

Veterans must undergo a hearing exam by a licensed audiologist to qualify for a disability rating allowing them benefits. There are two separate tests that must be administered:

• Maryland CNC Test: This test measures hearing loss in veterans through a 50-word test that scores how well speech is recognized. The VA uses the results to determine if your hearing loss qualifies for disability and, if so, the rate of the severity of your condition.
• Puretone Audiometry Test: This test determines your level of general hearing loss and the type of loss you have, by measuring the tones you can pick up on. You will wear a set of headphones, or a bone-conduction device, and listen for beeps, which you will alert if you hear or not.

Hearing Loss vs. Tinnitus

Tinnitus refers to the perception of noise or ringing in the ears. Often, tinnitus is a symptom of an underlying condition, such as hearing loss, an injury to the ear, or a circulatory system disorder.

Because service members are often exposed to loud noises, including gunfire, armored vehicles, and other combat-related noises, they can lead to both tinnitus and hearing loss.

If you have been denied and are filing an appeal, we can help. Feel free to complete this free case evaluation on our website.