Transitioning from the military can be a rough process, even if you've been through one of the multiple transition programs before getting out. There are a lot of benefits that you could take advantage of, which can negate or at least soften the blow of certain problems from the service. If your hearing is worse, but you're not sure of how to get a hearing aid or can't afford the medical care on your own, here's a few things that almost every military veteran is entitled to as part of their service.
The VA Can Cover Military-Related Hearing Problems
Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits exist to help all veterans, regardless of their specific status. Although some veterans are entitled to more benefits than others depending on their situation, veterans with hearing problems need to focus on one benefit: disability.
This isn't the same kind of disability as Social Security. You're still able to work without any restrictions except for in a few specific circumstances, and it's more of a compensation program for what you gave away during your military service.
If something was damaged during your military service, your government owes you repairs and replacement as well as compensation. When it comes to hearing, the VA provides the same monetary compensation as any other disability based on the current pay rates as well as hearing assistance.
You as the veteran need to prove that your hearing problems (and any other conditions) are related to military service. The VA can still give guidance and basic clinic-level assistance for any veteran, but for the money and referrals to hearing professionals, you'll need documentation showing that your military career was a hearing hazard.
Getting the proof is easier for some jobs than others. Well-known military ratings involving constant loud machinery, explosions and gunfire, and alarms are the easiest to approve because VA disability professionals will have plenty of related cases to confirm your issues.
If your job code isn't know for its hearing hazards, you'll either need to blaze the trail by proving how your job is a hearing hazard or show details of the specific situations that caused your hearing loss.
How To Get Proof And Quality Hearing Aids
Hearing loss claims have another chance even if you can't show the historical cases of your hearing loss. Although there's no specific cutoff date, the sooner you get a hearing test on record showing your hearing problems, the easier it is to say that the military caused the problem. If you wait for years before taking a hearing test, it's easier for the VA to say that your hearing loss could have been caused by something in your civilian career.
If the VA results don't show a problem, but you're sure of hearing issues, get proof from a civilian/private hearing loss professional. VA facilities can be backlogged with clinic and hospital appointments, meaning that your results could have been rushed. The equipment at some VA facilities may not be precise enough or tuned to different types of hearing loss, which a third-party professional could provide.
If you've been approved for disability already, you can get a better selection than the VA's "brown box special" generic hearing aids. Contact a hearing aid professional, such as those found at County Hearing And Balance, to get the targeted analysis and precision hearing aid options you need for all points of your veteran lifestyle.
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