Hearing Aids

[Ranmic]

I am pretty sure I'm posting this questioning the wrong forum so for that I apologize in advance. 

I have had tinnitus for years and being Service connected I was told I was eligible for VA hearing aids (my hearing sucks too) that may help.  I've been told that the hearing aids they have really do help a lot with the constant ringing.  Does anyone on here currently have any from the VA and do they really work?  It would be nice to get relief sometimes if they actually do work.

Edited May 25, 2020 by Ranmic
typo

[Buck52]

 MH is Mental Health (hearing loss can and will cause depression) you need a qualified Dr to give his medical opinion on that.

Yeah some of the guys that can't get a rating for hearing loss but has it service connected at 0% can file a secondary claim for depression.

  hearing loss is very hard to get a rating for and usually its just 10% plus 10% for tinnitus  ...>its best to have a private ENT DR TEST YOUR HEARING and read your records SEND IN AS YOUR EVIDENCE THAT YOUR HEARING IS WORSE and you want compensated for it,

   if your service connected for hearing loss  if I was you i'd go get a private hearing test have them to use the VA Guidelines and use the Maryland CNC  Word test CD  you can also file a secondary claim for Depression.

 

[GBArmy]

Ranmic Since you are already s-c for both Tinnitus and hearing, you would need to get a nexus from psych doc to connected MH (Mental Health) issue as secondary to the hearing/tinnitus. If you believe you do "check out" or avoid that social stuff, you should get yourself evaluated. See if you have any of the other symptoms  and your own research. Start here http://www.militarydisabilitymadeeasy.com/mentaldisorders.html   The VA will evaluate you but if you have a diagnosis from a psychologist, it otten can result in a rating by the VA as well. You don't have to have all the symptoms; the ones they spike out are "typical." Hey, if you are affected, get a disability for it. Check it out.

[brokensoldier244th]

The retest is because it may get worse. 
 

my hearing aides generate a white noise  side tone that I can barely hear that helps cancel out the worst of my tinnitus. 

[Buck52]

23 hours ago, GBArmy said:

Ranmic I have hearing and tinnitus; had hearing aides now for about 4-5 years. At the time they didn't have hearing aides that helped neutralize the tinnitus problem, so I can't say a lot about it. And my tinnitus isn't constant, all day long; just comes and goes so I'm not sure I would be a good candidate for it anyway. You can ask for them in believe 3 years after you were first given VA issued hearing aides if you don't get them initially. I'm not sure about your hearing though. Do you have a hearing disability also, or just tinnitus as being rated? If not, put in a claim for it. Having an already disability approved for tinnitus, which of course is a seperate disability, doesnn't hurt. I agree with Buck; they have a very good program and if you are rated, it is free.

GB Army

if its been a while since you had your hearing tested ?

  you may think about getting it re-tested..as you you wear your hearing aids daily  your hearing could be worse and you don't know it? 

 normally  on the first try for hearing loss the veterans chances of getting a rating is like 95% he won't  even if he does have  bad hearing  to a 10%20% range  they seem to always deny this the first time.

..now if the veteran re test and ask the Audiologist to decipher the test for him and ask if he shows a hearing loss at what Db #  if they are low enough and your word discrimination score is fairly high  they should approve you for an increase in your hearing loss.

   because hearing loss means your inner ear drums have been damage  and the inner hair that vibrates so you can hear  have fallen off and this means less hearing  I don't truly understand it all but this is what an audiologist mention to me years ago.

  so as time goes on so does your hearing  especially if your hearing is caused by noise induced loud sudden sounds bilaterally  meaning both ears. (are damaged)

So you may want to file for an increase .

  Try not wearing your aids a few days   and if your spouse or friends notice your poorer hearing.  THEN  get re- tested   and request an increase if you show  you do have a hearing loss/ * Please Note not wearing hearing aids may result in a trip to the court house to file for DIVORCE  eh! (just kidding)

just compare your last test to this new one   you may need to ask an audiologist to read these test...this is what I did  when I got denied  then I got increase  from 0%service connection rating to a 50% rating  and about 3 years later it went from 50 %to 80%  plus 10% for tinnitus making me 90% service connected for my hearing loss alone.

[GBArmy]

Thanks Buck. It is on my to-do list. I know you have bad hearing, especially in one ear. But you went from 0% disability to 50% on the first re-test. Unless there was an big lag time from your first test, you REALLY got low-balled. IMHO you either had one really poor examiner, or, they just flat-out wanted to deny. Thats way too big of a jump unless it was 25 years or something.

[Buck52]

Well its complicated as for as for as I went from 0% S.C.  TO A 50% SC RATING within 6/8 months time

I first filed for hearing loss back in 1998 Sept I believe?

...I never caught that back when they did get that rating...I was just glad I got it at that time..

but after years passed I refiled for hearing increase on the recommendation of my VOC-Rehab counselor.(in 1999)   but the thing is I remember taking a test from the va about that time I just thought it was a follow up test?  but it must have been a C&P because they used that test to give me the 50%   APRIL 4TH 1999

anyway they have my award letter all screwed up with different dates.

.I first filed for hearing loss in 1998  was denied  NOD THAT the same year and was denied in 1999 but service connected at 0 % with no rating...according to all the hearing test I showed a profound hearing loss   even back to the 1998 test but was still denied and in Jan 1999 I filed for increase and was rated the 50%on April 1999...when I did finally win the TDIUI on MAY 7th 2003  they used the dates of a private  Specialist IMO ENT Hearing test as he went and used the va guidelines to include the Maryland  CNC word discrimination test..I did this test Dec 20 2002...they awarded me the TDIU P&T on May 7th 2003...then back dated for my retro went from May 7th 2003   back to Dec 20 2002 SOME 5 MONTHS OF RETRO.

This is wrong!!!

I Just realized this a couple years ago  about the screwed up dates and the retro didn't seem right...after getting my C-FILE in on CD where I can use it in my computer to read most of it,  its has over  8 thousand pages to sift through   I used the GI Bill to go to college back in 1974- 75- 76-& 77 so there is a lot of those pages inversely placed in my C-file making it that much more complicated to read my files   on adjudication back in 2002/2003

with most of the dates they have on all my award letters and rating sheets  these dates say July 20th 1998...but they cheated me out of about 4/5 years retro at the 100%rate.  to minus the 50% paid from the April 1999 award forward to the May 7th award..its complicated and there  is a lot more to it than this  but I am still looking for evidence to use against them  and so for its looking like a CUE Claim for EED and correct dates.

IF THESE DATES PROVE TO BE ERROR  THEN THAT GOES IN THE VA FAVOR   THEY ARE THE ONES THAT MADE THESE ERRORS BUT ARE CALLED TYPO ERRORS.

broncovet , just won a 18 year battle for his rating at 100% and 2 100%ratings one for hearing loss at 100% the other MDD 100%secondary to his hearing loss with SMC -S  and 18 years of retro .

So he has been helping me on all this...I do need to hire a attorney or va claims agent to help me put this together  because I want to have the evidence to show them they screwed up on the dates and my rerto .

PLUS THEY HAVE USE OF THE VBSM.

if they go back to the 1998 date that means boo coo retro and my 20 year protection rule should be in effect.

but like I said this is long and drawn out and very complicated  mostly my fault because I didn't catch all this at the time they rated me and awarded me the TDIU P&T on May 7th 2003  back dated to Dec 20th 2002.

THIS HAS TO BE A REOPEN FOR COMPLETE  REVIEW AUDIT OF MY ADJUDICATION BACK ON MAY 7TH 2003 (If they do reopen I will be lucky)

Well I claim my retro is off and  they should have paid me the retro back to 1998 when i first filed  but I have no evidence to build on this  so my rertro should have been from the time I applied for the first increase and that was Jan 1999 awarded 50%April 

Right now I am gathering up my evidence and need to set my eyes on the VBMS.

I know a well experience VA Accredited Claims agent (certified /accredited back in 2011)but has been doing veterans claims for well over 30 years...his name is Robert Blackledge From Argyle  Tx

We are in the process of moving and I am not going to submit a claim until I get a new address and reported to the VA and my R.O. plus I need additional evidence.

Edited May 26, 2020 by Buck52