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VA Disability: Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is one of the most common service-connected conditions among VA disability benefits recipients. In 2022, hearing loss was the third most common condition among all recipients of veterans disability benefits, with more than 1.4 million cases. Hearing loss was also the sixth most common impairment among new disability recipients, with more than 74,000 cases. Those numbers don’t include the millions of veterans who are receiving disability compensation for tinnitus. 

It’s no surprise that both hearing loss and tinnitus are common among veterans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), prolonged exposure to noise at levels above 70 decibels can cause hearing damage, and 120 decibels can cause immediate harm. Nearly all gunshots exceed the 120-decibel level, as do anti-tank artillery, explosions, and grenades. Other noises, such as a tank or helicopter operating, generate noise levels high enough to cause hearing damage with relatively brief exposures. These are just a few of the highest level and most common sources of dangerous noise exposure possible in the military.

Establishing a Service Connection for Hearing Loss

Most types of hearing loss are not presumed service-connected by the VA. In 2022, legislation was introduced that would have made hearing loss and tinnitus presumptive service-connected conditions for those who served in combat, or who were assigned a specialty where they were or were likely to be exposed to a sufficiently high level of acoustic trauma as to result in permanent hearing loss, tinnitus, or both. The Department of Veterans Affairs supported the bill, but it never made it to a vote. So, for now, a veteran pursuing VA disability benefits for most types of hearing loss must establish a service connection. 

That means identifying and documenting an event or exposure and providing medical documentation to show that the event or exposure is the likely cause of the condition. However, the VA does consider the likelihood that hearing loss is service-connected based on a non-binding listing of the likelihood of noise exposure in various specialties. A moderate or high rating may be sufficient to establish a service connection. 

How is Hearing Loss Assessed by the VA? 

The VA considers two different measures of hearing loss. Both must be assessed by a licensed audiologist. The first, and the one most comparable to hearing tests you may have had in your doctor’s office, measures the auditory threshold for each of several common frequencies. This is assessed using the Pure-Tone Audiometric Test, which identifies the quietest sound you can identify without hearing aids at various frequencies. 

The VA will consider hearing loss a disability if: 

• The auditory threshold (how loud something must be for you to hear it) is 40 decibels at 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, or 4000 Hertz, or
• The auditory threshold for at least three of those same frequencies is 26 decibels or higher

However, the VA doesn’t rely entirely on this one measure. The VA exam will also include the Maryland CNC Test. This test is designed to measure speech discrimination and is administered using a 50-word VA-approved audio recording. A score of 94 or lower will support a finding of disability. 

The disability rating determination involves a grid structure that considers performance on each test. The grid yields a Roman numeral between I and XI. Then, the rating for each ear is put into another grid to determine the degree of disability. For example, if the better ear and poorer ear are each rated V, the disability rating is 20%. But, if the poor ear is rated X and the better ear V, the rating is 40%. 

If both ears are at level XI, the disability rating is 100%. The veteran may also qualify for special monthly compensation due to deafness in both ears if bilateral hearing loss is at or above the threshold required for a maximum rating. 

When necessary, additional tests may be included, such as tympanometry and acoustic reflex tests, and Stenger tests. Bone conduction may also be measured, depending on the air conduction threshold. 

Many veterans suffering from hearing loss have also been diagnosed with tinnitus. While tinnitus itself warrants only a 10% disability rating, even if severe, it may result in a higher rating when combined with hearing loss or other conditions. 

Evidence in VA Hearing Loss Cases

The evidence required to establish your claim will vary based on your condition, your military service, how long ago you served, and other factors. An experienced VA disability benefits advocate can be your best resource for information about how to build the strongest possible claim for hearing loss. 

For example, the evidence required to establish a service connection will vary depending on whether you served in a position that is rated high or moderate for risk of hearing-damaging noise exposure. If your position is rated low, it will be more important to be able to establish a specific event that led to your hearing loss. How much time has passed since you served in that position will also be a factor, since the VA may be skeptical about the service connection if years have passed since the exposure. If significant time has passed, you may need evidence of when your hearing loss started, such as doctors’ notes from the past and/or testimony from friends and family. 

Get the Benefits You Deserve for Hearing Loss

If you served your country and suffered a disability as a result, you deserve to be fairly compensated for the limitations you face. Unfortunately, securing those benefits isn’t always as easy as it should be. The first step toward submitting a strong claim for veterans benefits for hearing loss is to understand exactly what is required to establish your claim. 

An experienced VA disability benefits advocate can explain exactly what you will be required to prove, and what types of evidence are necessary to support your claim and to establish the appropriate disability rating. To learn more about how Veterans Help Group can support you in putting together the strongest case possible, 855-855-8992 or click here to fill out our contact form.