History of Hearing Loss and the U.S. Military

by | Jun 30, 2019 | Law Services

Recent Articles

Categories

Archives

It’s no secret that people engaging in military service are often exposed to loud noises in combat situations. Some of these people may develop a loss of hearing, or cases of tinnitus, which means a ringing in the ears, as a result of this noise exposure. If a veteran can prove that their hearing loss or tinnitus correlates to their military service, they may be eligible for financial compensation and other services from the Department of Veterans Affairs, commonly known as the VA. Some veterans’ hearing issues were aggravated by the use of 3M combat earplugs while serving. People affected by these defective earplugs have been suing the 3M Corporation in the 3M earplug lawsuit to receive compensation.

Statistics on military hearing loss

The VA reported in 2003 that out of the 2.5 million veterans who received disability compensation, auditory disabilities accounted for almost 10% of the total number of disabilities among these veterans. (This number is thought to have increased after the use of the defective 3M combat earplugs from 2003 to 2012).

The Center for Disease Control estimates that military service members are 30% more likely to experience hearing loss than civilians. This only increases when looking exclusively at soldiers who served after 9/11: These people are more than four times as likely to develop hearing loss than an average civilian.

Attributing hearing loss to military service

Proving to the VA that a veteran’s hearing loss or tinnitus can be attributed to the time they spent in combat situations can be more difficult than one might initially assume. If the hearing loss or tinnitus made itself known after the military service had been completed, cannot be completely distinguished from noise-induced tinnitus or hearing loss resulting from noisy industry work or noisy recreational activities, like hunting.

Tinnitus can also develop as a response to factors unrelated to noise exposure, such as brain tumors, head injuries, middle ear diseases, or consumption of certain medications.

If the veteran cannot provide sufficient evidence to prove that their experiences in the military caused the tinnitus or hearing loss that they developed, the VA may not be willing to compensate them. Again, this has changed slightly after the defective nature of the 3M combat earplugs came to light.

Hearing protection initiatives

In more recent years, branches of the military have taken more proactive steps to protect the hearing of people who serve in the military both during training scenarios and in real combat situations.

The Navy and the Air Force have been advocates for hearing protection for a long time. The Air Force’s Waiver Guide notes the different levels of human hearing loss and discusses at which of these levels a person can safely fly an Air Force plane. This guide also makes note of the importance of using hearing protection as a way to guard against long-term hearing loss.

The Office of Naval Research, or ONR, hosted nationwide experts in a 2013 event to discuss combating military hearing loss. The ONR runs its own program studying noise-induced hearing loss, which works to decrease the incidence in the Navy of hearing loss and tinnitus caused by excessive noise exposure.

The Army has also begun to take action with their 2014 use of the Tactical Communication and Protective System, also known as TCAPS. This system is designed to minimize hearing loss both throughout training and on the battlefield.

However, some soldiers have pushed back against these measures, saying that wearing hearing protection decreases their situational awareness and makes them less effective in a combat situation.

Final thoughts

If you or someone you know has developed hearing loss or tinnitus that you believe originated due to noise exposure during military service, or may have been exacerbated by the use of defective 3M combat earplugs, contact a lawyer experienced in dealing with 3M earplug lawsuit claims who will help you navigate the legal system to get the compensation you deserve from either 3M or the VA.

Similar Posts