recent hearing test leaves me confused

[Richard1954]

I had a new hearing test conducted at Fort Hood today, the results are as followed:

        250   500   1000  1500   2000   3000    4000     6000    8000

L.     20      30      35      45       50      75         70          55           50

R     20       30      40      50      80       80        75           55           55

 

Word recognition 100%    at     80 DB   ..  it was explained to me that 50 DB is normal  hearing level for most people , in my case DB level  was increased until I could hear and understand all the words ????

 

So what the heck is this test really saying ?     Even though its worse that my last test 4 years ago  it still equals 0% rating... right?

 

[Carl the Engineer]

Hearing disability with the VA is a whole other animal.

My word recognition was 100% also, but I still can not hear my wife when the football game is on the TV.

Just sayin,

Hamslice

I am rated 10% for tinnitus left ear, but 0% both ears with a service connected hearing loss in both.

Hope someone can explain the ear ratings better than I will.  I do know from researching before that you pretty much have to be deaf to get any comp.

[broncovet]

You have a high frequency loss, somewhat similar (but less severe) than mine.  Yes, you can plug those numbers into the rating chart, but I will estimate your rating for hearing loss will most likely be 0 percent.  

Did your audiologist opine you would benefit from hearing aids?   My guess would be no. 

Its "on you" to "compensate" for your own hearing loss.  Im actually good at that, having done so for decades.  Here are a few things you can do:

1.  ASK your family and friends to face you when they speak, and not put things (such as their hands) in front of their face while speaking.  

2.  Get good at learning the context of the speaker, even if you dont know the content.  Even our dog knows what "pointing" at an object means.  

3.  Learn to listen carefully, and to understand the persons name.  If you did not hear their name (or any thing else) ask them to rephrase, not repeat.  The reason is if the speaker repeats, you missed it the first time and wont likely hear it much better the second time.  But if they rephrase..then you are much more likely to get it the second time.  

4.  If you go into a resteraunt, "DONT EXPECT" people to know what you need to hear.  Dont say, "Im hard of hearing".   Instead, say, "Im hard of hearing can you move closer so I can hear you?"   People usually want to help you hear, but they dont know what YOU need.  If you need them to speak louder, say so!  They cant read your mind.  

5.  If you can not hear people when they speak in another room, then ask them not to do this.  Say, "I cant hear what you say when you walk into another room. Please wait until you are finished speaking to leave."  

6.  Use closed captions and learn to read quickly.  Get a close captioned phone, if necessary.  Caption Call has one for free, where the words come up on the screen.  You have to have an audiologist opinion that you need one.  My audiologist wrote a letter which Caption call used to get me the free caption phone.  Its much much better.  

7.  Sit near the speaker when you can.  If you go to church, understand the nearer you are to the speaker, the more likely you can hear him or her.  My pastor has a very strong voice which I can hear.  I often can not hear women or people with very high voices, so I choose a pastor with a very strong voice.  

8.  Ask your employer for reasonable accomodations to your disability.  If things are loud, ask for hearing protection to help prevent additional hearing loss.  

9.  Attend a class, "Living with hearing loss" like I did.  Its excellent.  

[Buck52]

I can't seem to make a new post  so I copy some information that we all need to read  it seems the VA is making some changes in the provisions,this change dates back to 1945 this is a long read but we all need to read it. this affects all veterans and IU Vets as well 

VA is updating the rating schedule to better reflect modern medicine.  This is the first time we have undertaken updating the schedule, from end to end, since 1945.  So far, we have finalized changes to the regulations impacting dental and oral conditions, conditions related to the endocrine system, gynecological and breast conditions, eye conditions, and, most recently, skin conditions.  How will this impact you?

Most we all know about but keep reading on..

don't let this fool you or think your the exception...I believe this is for All Veterans.

• Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn
• Djibouti, Africa on or after September 11, 2001
• Operations Desert Shield or Desert Storm
• Southwest Asia theater of operations on or after August 2, 1990

 

Issue Number Six | August 2018 From the Director's Desk I wanted to highlight some changes that may impact you.  As we modernize VBA, we are focusing resources and investing in new and updated programs that will better serve you and your family.  One of the key areas of focus is updating the rating disability regulations.   VA is updating the rating schedule to better reflect modern medicine.  This is the first time we have undertaken updating the schedule, from end to end, since 1945.  So far, we have finalized changes to the regulations impacting dental and oral conditions, conditions related to the endocrine system, gynecological and breast conditions, eye conditions, and, most recently, skin conditions.  How will this impact you?  If you file a claim for a condition that is impacted by one of these changes, we will use the revised rating schedule to evaluate the disability.  The schedule has not significantly changed the evaluations. but we added disabilities.  You can find the entire revised Rating Schedule online. If you are interested in filing a claim, please submit VA Form 221-526ez.  You can apply for benefits online using eBenefits. If you don’t already have an eBenefits account, you can register on the DS Logon Registration page. Instead of using your APO address for registering on eBenefits, use your last recorded United States address.  Veterans can update the address after creating the account.   New BDD Office at Camp Humphreys After more than sixteen years of serving the Active Duty and Veteran community in Korea, the Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) office will be closing its doors on Yongsan effective 31 July 2018. A new office was opened in February at Camp Humphreys One-Stop building, BLDG 6400. The new BDD office, V301, is on the third floor conveniently located next to the Soldier for Life — Transition Assistance Program (SFL-TAP) office.   The BDD office is the only place on peninsula for Service members to file their VA disability claim. To be eligible for the BDD program, Service members must meet the following program requirements: Servicemembers must have a known separation date and file their claim between 180 and 90 days prior to separation, Provide a copy of their complete service treatment record with the claim, and Be available for 45 days from the date of claim to attend VA examinations For more information you may contact the BDD office at DSN 757-2911 or 2912, or by email at KOREABDD.VBAPIT@VA.GOV. VR&E Job Placements Overseas Regional Office Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) serves Veterans overseas residing in the continents of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The overseas job market presents challenges with identifying prospective employers. The Division is identifying ways to reach out to companies that have a global office to assist VR&E participants overseas. Recently, a VR&E participant secured full time employment overseas with Amazon. In addition, the Division will be collaborating with BNY Mellon to discuss employment opportunities for Veterans. Although their main office is in Pennsylvania, they have branch offices overseas. In addition to the private sector, the Division has identified resources to assist Veterans with applying for federal positions of employment. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) hosts webinars to assist applicants with the federal application process.   This enables participants to gain a greater understanding to effectively apply for positions of employment for which they meet the qualifications. Airborne Hazards & Burn Pit Registry  Burn pits were a common way to get rid of waste at military sites in Iraq and Afghanistan. At this time, research does not show evidence of long-term health problems from exposure to burn pits. VA continues to study the health of deployed Veterans. Health Effects from Burn Pit Smoke Toxins in burn pit smoke may affect the skin, eyes, respiratory and cardiovascular systems, gastrointestinal tract and internal organs. Veterans who were closer to burn pit smoke or exposed for longer periods may be at greater risk. Health effects depend on a number of other factors, such as the kind of waste being burned and wind direction. Most of the irritation is temporary and resolves once the exposure is gone. This includes eye irritation and burning, coughing and throat irritation, breathing difficulties, and skin itching and rashes. The high level of fine dust and pollution common in Iraq and Afghanistan may pose a greater danger for respiratory illnesses than exposure to burn pits, according to a 2011 Institute of Medicine report. Type of Waste Burned Waste products in burn pits include, but are not limited to: chemicals, paint, medical and human waste, metal/aluminum cans, munitions and other unexploded ordnance, petroleum and lubricant products, plastics, rubber, wood, and discarded food. Burning waste in open air pits can cause more pollution than controlled burning, such as in an incinerator. Registry for Veterans & Service Members VA's Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry allows eligible Veterans and service members to document their exposures and report health concerns through an online questionnaire. Eligible Veterans and service members include those who served in: Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn Djibouti, Africa on or after September 11, 2001 Operations Desert Shield or Desert Storm Southwest Asia theater of operations on or after August 2, 1990 Check your eligibility and sign up. It takes about 40 minutes to complete the questionnaire. You can do it in one sitting or save it and come back later. You can print and use your completed questionnaire to discuss concerns with your provider. VA providers can also access an online copy of your questionnaire.  For more information visit VA's website: https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/burnpits/registry.asp     Military Order of the Purple Heart Earlier this year, there were discussions of Military Order of the Purple Heart Organization (MOPH) shutting down operations to include representation.  As of May 15, 2018, VA was informed that MOPH will not discontinue as a service organization. Although some offices may close, the organization will continue to represent claimants before VA.           Get to Know Your VA Team: Laura Waszil, Assistant Veterans Service Center Manager (AVSCM) Laura Waszil is a proud Air Force Veteran, having served as a Medic on Active Duty and an Aeromedical Evacuation Technician in the Air Force Reserves. She utilized her GI Bill to earn her Bachelor of Science Degree in Education. In May 1991, she began her VA career in the Pittsburgh VA Regional Office as a Veterans Benefits Counselor where she interviewed Veterans and their families and answered telephone inquiries. She proceeded to serve in many different positions while in Pittsburgh, including Veterans Service Representative, Rating Veterans Service Representative, Rating Analyst, Decision Review Officer, and Coach.   After completing a detail for Central Office (CO) as the Logistics Coordinator for the Veterans Claims Intake Program (VCIP), which included the initial transference of VBA's paper documents to an electronic system of records,  Laura went to Philadelphia as a Management Analyst in the Eastern Area Office and learned new skill sets of running, reviewing and analyzing reports, as well as collaborating with VSCMs, Assistant Directors and Directors on directives from CO. Laura then moved onto Washington, D.C. as the Chief of the Business Management 215B staff of Compensation Service. This was far from her comfort zone, as it involved supervising employees who were writing and testing technical requirements for new applications and updating Legacy applications. During her time there, she networked with an amazing group of talented Central Office employees. Laura has returned to the Pittsburgh RO as the Assistant Veterans Service Center Manager, reaching back to CO networks at least weekly to brain storm new and improved methods of serving Veterans residing overseas as well as stateside. She’s grateful to be home near her family and friends, as well as coworkers with whom she has worked with for years.       What advice can you offer to Veterans when submitting claims for service-connection? Always obtain copies of treatment records at the time of provider visits.  That prevents delay in VA obtaining copies of relevant documents since they can be uploaded into eBenefits instantly.  Also, if you're still in service, ensure you ask for and receive a copy of your personnel and service treatment records prior to discharge.  These two actions can prevent delays and VA having to make decisions without pertinent medical evidence.         Be There Peer Support Call & Outreach Center Overview In October 2016, the Department of Defense launched a program with the mission of providing peer support for Service members and their families. The BeThere Peer Support Call and Outreach Center, available 24/7/365, encourages Service members and their families to seek support for any of their issues, big or small.   BeThere is staffed by Veterans and military spouses who understand Military and Veteran culture, is confidential, and offers unlimited calls, text, and online and video chat. The service aims to reduce the stigma of seeking help by keeping interactions informal, non-clinical, and convenient, and it stresses their belief that no concern or issue is too small.   The peer specialists are always available to provide support, referrals to other resources, confidential conversations, and follow-ups, and they are trained in emergency procedures for situations in which a caller is in crisis.   As of October 2017, peer specialists have assisted people in 6 countries and27 states through 5,119 calls, 375 emails, 132 texts, and 249 chats. They hope to continue to increase these numbers by reaching more Service members, Veterans, and families.   The BeThere program is part of an ongoing effort by the Department of Defense to end Veteran suicide. Peer support helps prevent suicide by connecting people through shared experiences, normalizing and encouraging help-seeking, and building resilience by providing steady and reliable support.   For more information, please visit the BeThere website. To access BeThere Peer Support Services, call 844-357-PEER (7337), text 480-360-6188, or visit their website to access their online and video chat features. Reminder to Eliminate Improper Benefit Payments To help you avoid any overpayment of VA benefits, please remember to notify VA immediately if you have a change in: Marital status School attendance for child over 18 and under 23 Income, if you are in receipt of pension benefits Employment status, if you are in receipt of Individual Unemployability benefits Return to Active Duty Changes may impact your eligibility to certain benefits. Periodically, VA requires Veterans and their family members who are in receipt of benefits to certify that any or all of the eligibility factors which established entitlement to benefits continue to exist. We routinely request Veterans validate their dependents and employment status. If you receive VA Form 21-0538 Status of Dependents Questionnaire, VA Form 21-0537 Marital Status Questionnaire, or VA Form 21-4140 Employment Questionnaire, please submit the completed document to VA as soon as possible. We must receive this information within 60 days from the date of the request or we may reduce your benefits                 Combat Injured Veterans Tax Fairness At of 2016 The Combat Injured Veterans Tax Fairness Act of 2016 requires the Department of Defense (DoD) to identify payments of disability severance pay (DSP) made after January 17, 1991, in which DoD withheld amounts for tax purposes from non-taxable DSP. Further, DoD is required to notify affected Veterans of the amount improperly withheld, and provide instructions on filing amended tax returns for such amounts. Defense Finance Accounting Services (DFAS) sent notification to the affected 130,000 Veterans on how to file for tax refunds with IRS beginning July 9, 2018. DFAS also sent an FAQ about the Act and eligibility. VBA’s position is that recouping tax refunds that Veterans receive as a result of filing amended tax returns under the Combat-Injured Veterans Tax Fairness Act of 2016 from VA disability compensation would defeat the purpose of the Act, which was to enable Veterans to recover income taxes improperly withheld from their DSP. To recoup a benefit Congress authorizes would defeat the intent of the benefit. Therefore, there is no action warranted by VA on these specific cases. Individual Unemployability Eligibility Review In September 2018, a new procedure will be implemented for the collection of VA Form 21-4140, Employment Questionnaire.  The new annual eligibility review (AER) will focus on collecting the 21-4140 from those Veterans who were found to have verified earned income over the poverty threshold for the previous calendar year.  A due process letter and a request for return of the 21-4140 will automatically be sent, based upon wage data received from the Social Security Administration.   Under the new AER process, Veterans' eligibility to IU entitlement will be reviewed regardless of age if they have been found to have verified earned income, whereas under the previous review, Veterans over 69 years of age were exempt from review. 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For dependents of Veterans without a social security number, you must do the following: Contact the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) at 1-800-538-9552. Provide your dependent's Foreign ID number.  Obtain a generated social security number provided by DMDC.  Use the generated social security number for registration in eBenefits.You can visit the eBenefits help page for assistance with registering for an account or you can call 1-800 372-7437. Foreign Medical Program (FMP) The Foreign Medical Program (FMP) is a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care benefits program for U.S. Veterans who are residing or traveling abroad and have VA-rated, service-connected disabilities. Under FMP, VA assumes payment responsibility for certain necessary health care services received in foreign countries and associated with the treatment of service-connected disabilities, or any disability associated with and held to be aggravating a service-connected condition.  Additionally, VA may authorize necessary foreign medical services for any condition for a Veteran participating in the VA Vocational Rehabilitation Program (38 U.S.C. 31).  For more information, to include submitting claims for reimbursement, please visit here. Veterans Crisis Line Crisis feels different for everybody and can be caused by a wide range of situations before, during, or after military service. Whatever’s got you down — chronic pain, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, anger, or even disturbing memories of your tour of duty — a Crisis Line responder can provide support, day or night. 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The Camp Humphreys, South Korea office is located in the One-Stop BLDG, BLDG 6400, office V3014 next door to the SFL-TAP office and can be reached by email at KoreaBDD.vbapit@va.gov or by telephone at DSN 757-2911 or 2912 or commercial 050-3357-2911 or 2912.

 

[Richard1954]

Thanks for the responses, I had figured that I would remain at 0%... examiner told me to have my hearing aids reprogrammed .... but for me I feel the hearing aids are just an added hassle ... I know all the tricks to hearing better and most don't work.  Hearing loss was initially diagnosed in 2005 when I got my first set of hearing aids.  I guess what really gets me is normal hearing is at 50 DB and they jack up the word recognition to 80 DB just to rate me at 100% word recognition. I think the system is rigged so that it is almost impossible to get a rating but still they recommend hearing aids.  Factually, based on the numbers I have a Severe hearing loss. I suspect many veterans are in the same boat as me. What really sucks is the lack of standards when testing, you have to wear your glasses to decide on a rating for loss of sight,  but when it comes to hearing you can't wear hearing aids to decide the rating. What ever became of congress's recommendation that if you wear hearing aids you should get a 10% rating no matter what. I don't even bother wearing the hearing aids anymore,  get new aid every 5 years,  I just toss them in a drawer until 5 years have gone by and they issue new aids,  and the cycle starts all over again. At this point in my life I don't care if I can hear someone or not...... I just stick to myself makes life much easier. 

[broncovet]

Hearing aids are like a wooden leg.  They are not the same as the original, but are better than nothing..if you use them.  If a wooden leg sits in the drawer, it wont help you walk much.  This is your life and your health..and its about choices.  If you choose to get hearing aids, put them in the drawer, then shut everyone out, then you can do just that.  They actually have a name for that.  Its called "withdrawal".  

 For me, I fight "withdrawal".  I use all the tools available to improve the quality of my life, including communications with others, to the extent practical.  I listed some of those.  

Years ago, on the VA website, the hearing loss guide explained that hearing loss causes depression...when you can not communicate with others, you  become "isolated".  VA backed off on this guide, as they certainly did not want to award depression for hard of hearing individuals, even tho, its an established fact, as you pointed out, that hearing loss leads to depression.  As Helen Keller explained (she was blind and deaf), that, if she could choose between blindenss and deafness, she would prefer to be able to hear.  Her reasoning was that blindness disconnects you from "Things", while deafness disconnects you from "people".  She would rather be disconnected from things, rather than people.  She did a fairly good job staying connected to people, writing books.  Some people can overcome disabilities, while others struggle.  

     Yes, the VA "hates" Vets with hearing loss, gives em a 0 percent rating, sometimes hearing aids and sends them on their way.  Hearing loss is the most common disability, and they are doing "damage control", mostly.  The military is a very very noisey place.  Guns, aircraft, noisey equipment, etc.  

     I have chosen to seek to do the best I can given the hand I have been dealt.  Chuck Knox used to say "Play the hand you are dealt".  Now that you know you dont have a Royal Flush, it does not mean you can not win...remember, the guy sitting across from you probably does not have a Royal Flush either.  

     Its your life.  Live it how you choose.  I use my hearing aids when its convienient..when I want to hear what someone has to say, but not when I have to listen to fan motors blowing.  I realy dont need to hear whether the bearing is going out in a fan motor or not, that is someone else's job to do that.  

     "Engaging" with others supports your own mental health and improves relationships.  While its "extra difficult" with hearing loss, we can do things to minimize the effects, but only if we so choose.  

      I recall wanting to be able to hear someone whisper, "I love you." in my ear.  Yea, she doesnt say that much anymore, but she says it in the things she does for me.  Im not always able to engage her in conversation, especially on the phone, but I engage her in other ways..by doing things like thinking up nice things to do for her.  You know, sometimes do the dishes for her, buy her flowers, clean out her car, and keep it running great.  That kind of stuff.  She does all my laundry, and cleans up my messes.  She also understands that I dont hear, so verbals become less important.  A dog does not have to tell you he loves you..but he sure can show you it.