VA - Hearing Aids Help

[Crunchy]

I am currently at 10% also, going through the claims process right now on a few other things.  I stopped at the VA hospital last week.  I was told I get some form of healthcare, free or significantly discounted hearing aids, as well as prescriptions and glasses.  Getting the run around on my other claims.  Somehow they lost my medical records linked to my back injury....

Also, some counties give discounts on your property taxes if you are a disabled VET which I am working on now.

[wadu1]

I am currently at 10% also, going through the claims process right now on a few other things.  I stopped at the VA hospital last week.  I was told I get some form of healthcare, free or significantly discounted hearing aids, as well as prescriptions and glasses.  Getting the run around on my other claims.  Somehow they lost my medical records linked to my back injury....

Also, some counties give discounts on your property taxes if you are a disabled VET which I am working on now.

At 10% you should get free hearing aids, and eye care and glasses. Just go to the hearing center at American Lake and request them. Same with the eye center, that may take a month or so to get an appointment. If you are going to the main help desk as you drive in, they are useless most don't know what they are doing. I took my dad in to get aids, the desk said he did not qualify because he does not have a DD-214. He's a WWll Vet they used WD-53's the VA help desk had no clue, it took 2.5 years.
Good luck   

[msg]

I have had hearing aids for the last 6 or 7 years. I am on my third set. Left one set at a buddy's house and he put them in the mail in a small white envelope. Going through metal rollers at PO destroyed them. Grandsons dog ate set two. Now have the Starkey Livio's . Rechargeable, I know where to find them every morning and don't have to deal with batteries any more. Bluetooth, phone rings in your head. Just have to remember where you set your phone down, It is somewhere close. Control settings on top of each one, volume on one side. Normal, crowd, auditorium, mute on the other. You can also adjust through the Thrive Hearing app. This set is by far the best but I believe they were all from Starkey. All paid for by employer and you do qualify for a new set every 5 years. It's hard to believe how much noise I make going through the woods wearing these. They are not perfect but are a great improvement.  Many years ago my partner shot a bull across a canyon at about 250 yards. There was a creek in the bottom. He said when the wind blew the creek quiet he heard it break a branch and that is how he spotted it. I'm like, what did you just say!

[rainshadow1]

Following... my ears are great, eyes doing funny stuff, but ears are fine.

Wife, on the other hand... Disabled Navy due to a car crash and messed up neck vertebra, but her ears are obviously poor. (Of course it couldn't have had ANYTHING to do with loading bombs on the flight deck, but I digress...)

She may need to follow suit, so I'll read your experiences....

[gutsnthegrass]

I have been thinking about hearing aids for awhile now.  I have worked in really noisy environments for roughly 25 years.  I know I have lost hearing, and have constant ringing in my ears also.  I'm sure that the hearing aids wont help with the ringing, but will the ringing be an issue with hearing improvement with the aids?

[msg]

That would be a good question for an audiologist. I know they set them up based on your hearing test, I don't know if they would be able to tone that down. I used to have that as a youngster working in a very noisy pulp mill environment. I noticed it most going to bed after graveyard. That part went away but the overall damage did not.

[Fidelk]

I have been thinking about hearing aids for awhile now.  I have worked in really noisy environments for roughly 25 years.  I know I have lost hearing, and have constant ringing in my ears also.  I'm sure that the hearing aids wont help with the ringing, but will the ringing be an issue with hearing improvement with the aids?

The ringing is tinnitus. Mine is in the left ear and occurred on a hunt where an ear plug had fallen out and my ear was close to a blast from a rifle with a muzzle brake. They make hearing aids that can be programmed to help with tinnitus (I only wear one in my left ear.....from Oticon). Unless the hearing aids are programmed for tinnitus, it could interfere with hearing improvement. My audiologist has tinnitus and is very up to date on treating it: peninsulahearing.com with offices in Poulsbo and Port Townsend.

[wadu1]

I have been thinking about hearing aids for awhile now.  I have worked in really noisy environments for roughly 25 years.  I know I have lost hearing, and have constant ringing in my ears also.  I'm sure that the hearing aids wont help with the ringing, but will the ringing be an issue with hearing improvement with the aids?

The ringing is tinnitus. Mine is in the left ear and occurred on a hunt where an ear plug had fallen out and my ear was close to a blast from a rifle with a muzzle brake. They make hearing aids that can be programmed to help with tinnitus (I only wear one in my left ear.....from Oticon). Unless the hearing aids are programmed for tinnitus, it could interfere with hearing improvement. My audiologist has tinnitus and is very up to date on treating it: peninsulahearing.com with offices in Poulsbo and Port Townsend.

My VA aids are programmed for tinnitus. It’s not bad when I have in/on but I can really tell the difference when out.

[pianoman9701]

I was told today that I qualify for VA hearing aids. I have to get signed up for a VA healthcare account. Because of COVID, this is going to take some time, but free is free.

[Crunchy]

It only takes 15 minutes.  Bring your va disabilty rating letter and dd214.

[pianoman9701]

I signed up just now and will find out about status within a week. 

[pianoman9701]

I don't know what the VA was like before, but two days after applying for medical, I got a call that I've been accepted and will get my card info and temporary card within 15 days. I'm very impressed. Thanks President Trump. 

[CJ1962]

You have already received lots of good info.  A couple of things to consider.  My hearing aids only pair with an Iphone.  Mine are from Starkey with the Thrive app.  I really like being able to take phone calls or listen to podcast through them.  Other's may work with Android phones but make sure.

Also mine are the over the ear kind with the microphone on top.  If you wear glasses or a hat they can cause static especially when you are chewing something.  If I wear sunglasses with a hat I have to slide the sunglasses up and on the outside of my hat otherwise it's uncomfortable on my ears.

Also for some reason I am way less stealthy with them then without them.  I'm not sure why

[pianoman9701]

I have an IPhone and I do wear glasses. Thanks for the tips!

[Rainier10]

I was on sensory overload when I got mine.  I had to take them out at lunchtime because it was just too much.  I made it until dinner time the second day and day three I made it all day.  There is a ton of sound that I was missing out on.