hearing loss Hearing Loss Claim - is there any point?

[Shake-n-Bake]

I registered my intent to file a claim for hearing loss, but now I'm wondering if there's really any point. I was just granted 60% disability, so the VA should provide the majority of my health care at no cost now, right? I read somewhere that if your rating gets you free health care, that includes free hearing aids, regardless of whether or not you are rated for hearing loss. It's my understanding that there is no financial compensation for hearing loss, anyway. If you win your claim, they just give you the hearing aids for free.

So, now I'm wondering if there's really any point in filing a claim for hearing loss. If it's true that I can get hearing aids for free anyway, what benefit is there from investing the time and energy in trying to win a claim? If there is some other benefit to it, I"m willing to go to the trouble, but if not, then my energy is better spent working on other claims which need to be dealt with. Can anyone clarify my thinking on this, or offer some advice?

[broncovet]

Hearing loss, if service connected, can result in a rating from 0 to 100 percent.  While the most likely is 0 percent, it depends upon your degree of hearing loss, and or speech discrimination as well as hearing related impairments such as tinnitus, (10 percent), and menieres disease.  

By "assuming" you will be at zero percent for hearing loss, you are cutting your own throat as far as benefits go.  Dont sabatoge your claim by failing to file for hearing loss because you "assume" it will be at zero percent.  

If you post your average Maryland CNC numbers, I can probably take a guess at your hearing loss rating if you become sc for hearing loss.  

[Buck52]

Hearing loss in my opinion is one of the hardest ones for the VA to give a fair rating for, to be rated for a percent say 10% -50%  you need to be darn near deaf  any thing over that your considered to have a major profound hearing loss that even the Best hearing Aids will not help, but they don't use the hearing aids while testing in a sound proof chamber.

Most of the time  veterans get a 0% rating  but they will need to show a hearing loss  in either one or both ears (see the rating chart on the level of hearing loss)

It took me 5 years to win my hearing loss claim and several  IMO's

At first was denied...year later was service connected at 0%   this is when I got my first set of hearing Aids , although you don't need to be S.C. to get Hearing Aids from the VA, Just Request a Hearing test and the Audiologist will let you know if hearing Aids would benefit your hearing loss and recommend you have some molds made and order your Aids  at no cost to the veteran)

but even then I was denied with hearing loss...after I had seen different Private Audiologist to do hearing test on me , I went back to the VA and requested another hearing test, this time it was a different Audiologist that did the Hearing test..and low and behold he mention that I did have a profound hearing loss  as he looked at the #s on the hearing chart...about 30 /40 Days later my hearing loss went from 0% S.C. TO 50% S.C.  That is a Big jump from the 0% .

had I known to CUE them on this from the low ball rating I got at 0%  from  non-friendly bully type Audiologist / ENT C&P Exminer, I could have CUE this rating  but I was new to this and didn't know any better.

 

Edited April 14, 2017 by Buck52

[Buck52]

As for as Private Hearing test, they will do the testing free  because they want to sell you some expensive hearing Aids  let them know you need to think it over ..shelling out that much $$....so ask for a copy after the test, then go compare them to other Audiologist that have test you and use the worse loss of hearing testing done on you for your IMO preferably with an ENT Specialist.

MOS plays a huge part as for as getting hearing loss service connected...even if you had a temporary  MOS and you were Around loud noise during your  active military days.

It's called bilateral Noise Induced Hearing loss  which occurs over time (years) after military..VA Will recognize this. 

[Shake-n-Bake]

Okay. Even if it's a slim chance, I'll file the claim for hearing loss, now that I know it's possible to get more than a 0% rating. The impression I had been given was that they would just rate you at 0% and give you some hearing aids, which seemed like a waste of time if they would give me the hearing aids anyway.

I definitely have hearing loss, but it's been about 9 years since my last hearing test and that was at a MEPS Center. I have no idea how to retrieve those records. At the time, though, I was told that I barely passed and the person said they would be surprised if I would, or could, pass the test within 4 years of that time. Like I said, that was 9 years ago and my hearing has gotten noticeably worse, for sure.

After sending off for my Service Medical Records a handful of times over the years, I have still never received them. The last time I sent the request was in early December and still nothing. They have my active duty records in my C-File, I assume, but I don't know about my records from two post-active duty visits to the MEPS Center, several years apart. I feel like I need to see all three of those tests to know where I stand from the standpoint of historic rate of deterioration. They did just grant me 10% disability for tinnitus, though, so would that satisfy the requirement to prove nexus? I mean, didn't they just concede that I was exposed to damaging levels of noise when they granted my claim for tinnitus? My guess is that they won't make it that easy, but I have no clue. They granted my previous claim without much problem, so maybe I'm overthinking this.