Hearing Loss and Meniere’s Disease
VA Benefits for Hearing Loss and Meniere’s Disease
Did you develop hearing loss during or after military service?
Exposure to loud noises, in-service ear infections, blasts from mortars, grenades, landmines, bombs, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), defective combat arms earplugs, and work around jet propulsion fuel-8 (JP-8) can lead to the development of numerous hearing problems.
Our medical experts provide VA nexus letters to service connect various forms of hearing disorders.
Types of auditory problems commonly
associated with military service include:
- Auditory processing disorder
- Complete hearing loss
- Meniere’s disease (hearing loss with vertigo and balance problems)
- Partial hearing loss
- Tinnitus
Aside from lower back disabilities, some of the most common claims for VA compensation are for hearing loss. Service members are frequently exposed to noise levels above the 85 decibel (dB) range, causing permanent damage to the auditory system.
For example, noise levels above 85 dB are produced by:
- Tanks
- Rifles
- Recoilless rifles
- Pistols
- Machine guns
- M-16s
- Jet engines
- Helicopters
- Heavy artillery
- Grenades
- Explosions
- Cargo transport
- Armored personnel carriers (APC)
- Anti-tank missiles
- Anti-tank guns
Veterans reach out to our medical consulting firm to get VA nexus letters supporting service connection for hearing loss and Meniere’s disease.
Without a nexus letter, veterans can face numerous challenges in getting service connected for hearing loss. Many veterans filing VA claims for hearing loss have records of normal hearing at the discharge exam. Even with records of exposure to acoustic trauma based on a veteran’s military occupational specialty or rating, the VA often argues that there is no delayed onset of hearing loss.
But scientific evidence shows that hearing problems can indeed appear many years after exposure to loud noise.
In other cases, the VA may agree that the veteran has hearing loss but argue that it isn’t bad enough to qualify for disability benefits. Or the VA will grant service connection for hearing loss but assign a 0% rating.
VA claims for hearing loss can be complicated to win. Our veteran-focused ENT doctors at Elite Medical Review Associates examine all potential links between hearing loss and service and prepare strong nexus letters to submit with VA benefits claims.
Decades of experience with veterans’ disability claims, our doctors are renowned for their meticulous research, recognition of all relevant scientific links between service events and hearing loss, and diligent nexus letter preparation.