tinnitus Hearing Loss Soc Denial

[stillhere]

In my last denial for my hearing loss this is what it says:

A March 2008 record from audiologist XXXX show you were seen for a complete evaluation. You reported difficulty hearing in all listening situations and intermittent tinnitus had been occurring for several years. The record notes excessive exposure to noise while serving in the military. Severe to profound asymmetrical sensorineural hearing loss was noted bilaterally.

The record does not provide and opinion that your current hearing loss was incurred or caused by your military service. Current medical evidence shows hearing loss.however the evidence received in connection with this claim does not constitute new and material evidence because it does not relate to an established fact necessary to substantiate the claim and does not raise reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim. Service connection denied as this was not incurred in or caused by your military service.

QUESTION: Does this say they just want an opinion to grant this claim??

Are they saying that they understand I have a hearing loss and the rcords shows loud noise exposure in the record???

[stillhere]

I think I would submit an NOD one last time and try to reopen it at the local level, with a copy of your entrance exam, exit exam, history of hearing aids post-service, and any independant medical opinions you may have that diagnose you with hearing loss and tie it to service. Those IMOs are new and material evidence by definition. If they refuse to reopen the case, take it to the BVA. What station denied your claim?

Broncovet, the Word Score has to be the Maryland, and I think what he has is the "NU" which I've never heard of.

I have a Maryland test and sent that in for the original IMO but the DR wrote that my condition was consitent with noise exposure in the military and they denied.Bu the way all of my test including thos at the VA show the exact same numbers.

But in the SOC they are not saying that I don't have a hearing loss they are saying I need a professional opinion that connects it to my military service.

I am a Vietnam Vet and spent my last year in service running high speed large printing presses. Both of my MOS's in service were involved with high noise exposure.

I went back to the DR that wrote my first appeal but she had moved to another ENT office. I made an appointment to meet with her there but the day I went she was really booked up so she had another AUD. in the office do the evaluation. She told me she would write a letter for and also said she knew exactly what to write because she used to do C&P!!

[stillhere]

James...

No offense, but I dont think you really have any idea of what its like to live with hearing loss. And I dont think most (other) rating specialists do either.

Just a few examples:

1. Do you know what it is like to have all your friends talk about a movie, while you know that you cant go to the movie theatre to watch it, you have to wait until it comes out on DVD so you can turn on the close captioning to watch it?

2. Do you understand what an insult it is to tell a HOH person "I wasnt talking to you" or "Nevermind" when he asks you to repeat?

3. Do you understand that public speaking is the biggest fear among hearing people, but HOH often have a worse fear? Do you know what that is?

4. Do you understand that hearing aids are like wheel chairs, they are not the same as real legs or real hearing?

5. Do you understand that hearing aids dont work in all conditions and sometimes even make it more difficult to hear than without hearing aids?

6. Do you understand that many of us do not want to be thought of as "deaf and dumb" and that we are worth the extra time it sometimes takes to explain to us and rephrase what you are saying?

7. Do you understand most people relate "Huh" or "Duh" with being stupid and not getting it?

8. Do you have any idea of the pressure on a HOH person, say at a job interview, or a date?

9. Have you weighed the plusses and minuses of "disclosing" your hearing loss at a potential job interview?

10. Do you know what the unemployment rate for people with disabilities such as moderate to severe hearing loss ? (It varies, but can exceed 50%)

11. Do you have any idea what would happen to our country if our enemployment rate was in line with the HOH, that is, sometimes above 50%?

This almost reads like a total discription of my day. I have a very hard time working in sales and my numbers (comission) is way down and moviing lower.

The VA while it is treating me good as far as my other disabilities I have been stressing out quite a lot over this.

No one can fully understand a handicaped unless they have had it TOO.

[stillhere]

Still here:

If your speech recognition is 76% and you are a candidate for a CI, you not only have a severe/profound hearing loss that is compensable, but you have tinnitus and, according to the VA hearing loss manual, you probablly have both depression and employment difficulties as well.

I can provide a copy of the VA's hearing loss manual if you PM me your email address, as this manual is too large to be able to upload it here.

You definately need to appeal, and, knowing what I know so far, you will win, but you will have to fight the VA for everything. I recommend you go for the DRO review first, because it can be faster than the BVA.

I am not sure rating specialists, or other non hearing professionals comprehend how bad your hearing is. A speech recognition of 76% means that you dont understand a fourth of the stuff you hear. I doubt that you can watch TV or movies at all without close captioning. You constantly confuse what you "hear" and misunderstood what is said.

You can probably not hear virtually anything other than what is in a quiet room. If there is background noise, cars, blower motors, lawnmowers etc, you probably dont hear anything. You have poor communications with your boss, if you can even communicate or work at all. With hearing as bad as yours, you are almost like a foreigner who does not speak English trying to get a job. You deseve Va benefits including compensation for hearing loss, tinnitus, probably depression and maybe even TDIU if you can not work. It would not suprise me at all if you cant find anyone to hire you. Nobody wants to hire someone that they have to take 30 minutes to explain to him, what others can get in 30 seconds. You are at a huge disadvantage.

Helen Keller who was blind and deaf said, that if she were given a choice, she would choose to keep her hearing. Her reason was that blindness disconnects your from things, while deafness disconnects you from people. She would rather be disconnected from things than be disconnected from people.

I wish you the best. Its too bad the VA is going to fight you on this..you dont deserve to have to fight to get what should already be yours.

yes if you don't mind when you have the time send me the link for that manuel you suggest.

In my everyday work situstion (sales) I am losing more and more clients and my boss is a real jerk because of my hearing loss.

My cell phone is pretty much the only phone I can hear on and even that has its limitations. You are correct I am virtually deaf and miss a lot.

I have even resorted to asking people to send me and email in frustation after they have repeated themselves 3 and 4 times!