Taking a Hearing Test

[DzrtLvr1]

Can anyone give advice for taking a hearing exam?

[GBArmy]

There are 2 parts; one is word recognition. The audio says a word and you repeat it. The second part is high and low sounds. Many folks can't hear at certain higher or lower ranges. Don't be nervous, just try to be honest. Above all, don't try to cheat. You won't be consistent and it might go against you. Tell them this is the first time you ever did the test and you are unsure of yourself. It may help you get thru it. I don't know if you have tinnitus, ringing or buzzing in your ears. If it is part of your claim, they should ask you a few questions. If it is part of your claim and they don't mention it, you do it. If it doesn't come up, you won't get rated.There is no test for tinnitus so you can't flunk. If you didn't include it in your claim as a SEPERATE claim, and you do have it, tell the examiner that you do and would he/she please include it in your C&P. Sometimes they will make an award for that along with the hearing decision even if it wasn't part of the original claim. I said sometimes! At least if the examiner made a note you might be able to get a quick award without another C&P. Maybe.

[GeekySquid]

here is a link to a good description of the tests involved and how they are read

https://veterans.perkinslawtalk.com/post/whats-the-right-rating-for-my-va-hearing-loss-claim/

The test GB is talking about is the Maryland CNC test. The will ask you to repeat back words and pairs of words.

This is the law on hearing values and CNC results

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=33d9334e8ca962940e6f920431bd3246&node=se38.1.3_1385&rgn=div8

§3.385   Disability due to impaired hearing.

For the purposes of applying the laws administered by VA, impaired hearing will be considered to be a disability when the auditory threshold in any of the frequencies 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 Hertz is 40 decibels or greater; or when the auditory thresholds for at least three of the frequencies 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, or 4000 Hertz are 26 decibels or greater; or when speech recognition scores using the Maryland CNC Test are less than 94 percent.

despite that word "or" in the law, the reality is that you have to be deaf as a post to get anything about 0% for hearing loss. My CNC score in 86 and three of my puretone thresholds are 30 or above. 1 is 26 and the last 19

Now if you have Tinnitus, Hearing loss, and Vertigo you have Meniere's for rating purposes.

[Buck52]

I agree with GB Army and Geekysquid

I just wanted to add this.

Go get  a Private hearing test using a specialist like ENT or a'' specialist'' in this field, have them use the VA Hearing Testing Guidelines, the Dr can call the VA and ask what these are and also get the Maryland CNC CD for the word test.  or you can go to the VA Audiologist and request the Maryland CNC  CD for your private Dr to use  when he /she test you. (they maybe a small fee for the CD.)

For service connection and compensation purposes!

Ask the Audiologist/ Specialist to read in-part of your medical records service treatment records Detail your hearing loss how much of hearing loss do you have? 10%20%50%  or  severe profound hearing loss  ect,,ect,,

 you need to mention to the audiologist or the specialist that you have not been around loud noise since the military and you do not hunt or use guns in a any way  ect,,ect,,,and  you were tested at your military entry  and your hearing was fine back then and now it shows you do have a hearing loss , the Dr needs to nexus your military MOS to your loss of hearing because of the loud sudden noise you endured while in the military(what type of loud noise you was around during your military days?  this is called noise induced bilaterally  hearing  loss that occurs over time.

After this it all is decided on your loss of hearing it depends on what the Numbers say?  they use a hearing chart geeky put up above, you need to ask the audiologist just how to read it?

   and compare this test with the one the VA did...and see where the difference is ?

if the private Audiologist testing is more favorable  I'd submit that with your claim  and ask the examiner to use this test because you used a specialist and they used the VA Guidelines and you feel its more of an accurate test  or something close to this.

add this if you want to?... you depend on the VA and private Audiologist to help you with your hearing loss and you appreciate that very much.

They(the raters) will take all this into consideration when they make a decision.

[Buck52]

And also the others are right about your tinnitus  if you have a ringing /humm/buzz /crickets sounds in your ears/head Describe this to the Audiologist and ask them to note this in their medical report  that you describe a ringing /buzz /crickets sound in your head  and the Audiologist will or should give a medical opinion that this is called tinnitus and you request tinnitus be given to you .

    it is a 10% s.c. rating for both ears  they separate the tinnitus and your loss of hearing with 10% going for tinnitus (that's all they rate for tinnitus 10% for both ears) and then rate your hearing loss according to the Numbers on the hearing chart as to what %  hearing loss you have for each ear.

[GeekySquid]

3 minutes ago, Buck52 said:

or you can go to the VA Audiologist and request the Maryland CNC  CD for your private Dr to use  when he /she test you. (they maybe a small fee for the CD.)

Buck, this is new information to me... did you do this successfully?

I know the Maryland CNC test has multiple versions and the word lists change at some frequency, but I did not know the VA would give you a copy to take to an audiologist. very interesting.

as for reading the numbers from the puretone results, it is like a freaking chinese dinner menu. pick 1 from column A 2 from Column B or substitute and Item in Column 3 for a buck extra.....exhausting to me but I can only guess the Audiology folks consider it basic math.

The CNC is fairly straightforward. The recording says words at different volumes and rhythms into each ear. In my test they were left ear for several words or word pairs, then right ear, then through bone-conduction on each side, then alternating between ears.

In real life I have to lip read to catch most of what someone says so if they are behind me or not looking at me I generally have to say "what?" a lot. This is true even with the hearing aid in. 

The last CNC I took, the baby-audiologist (still a phd student) couldn't seem to grasp that the tinnitus in my right ear was so loud none of the words, spoken or bone conducted, were audible until the volume was cranked to a level near an AC/DC concert. She placed notes to that effect in my record.

Then when I did my latest VNG (waterboarding through the ears) and other tests for Vertigo, the adult-Audiologist (who had years of practice) pointed out to her intern to watch out for that type of misunderstanding of the test results. It literally points to the fact, along with my vertigo, that I have meniere's or Migraine Associated Vertigo because the mechanical function of my vestibular system is measured as normal.

any way not trying to hijack the thread.

 

[GBArmy]

Has anyone ever tried to have an outside ENT/audiologist do this test for an INCREASE in your rating. Wondering if this would also work and the VA accept the findings for an increase say to go from a rating of 10% to say 20% or 30%?