quote:

Originally posted by The Night Rider:
I have Phonak through the VA. I'm completely happy with them.

This is going to sound like one of those JJ Walker commercials but I had no idea I was eligible for VA benefits until a guy that I served with who works for the Department of Veteran's Affairs contacted me and offered to review my records and submit a claim on my behalf.

Long story short the process took 2 years but I was deemed 70% disabled. I receive a monthly pension and everything BUT dental care free.

I would HIGHLY recommend that you NOT try to navigate the process alone. Contact your local American Legion or VFW and let them put you in contact with an advocate.

This, in Spades, and gold-plated.

The VSO (Veteran's Service Officer) at the VA Clinic did all the legwork. I did one interview with him, provided some basic paperwork (DD214) and went to a couple of screening appointments.

Yup, it took some time (just over a year) but the payback has been tremendous.

I got my new hearing aids from the VA Wed. They are Resound One and so for they working good for me.

Hearing aids used to be grossly overpriced.

The VA was the go-to for affordable hearing aids until recently. Now, with the new rule/law, there are a number of vendors selling hearing aids for much lower prices - without a prescription.

The cool part is that many of them can be tuned to the individual hearing loss (frequencies) to boost the sound where needed, and they have the ability to cancel out ambient noise, plus they can work with a direct feed from the TV or cell phone via blue tooth, etc.

All a big step forward, but I think you have to study how to set them up for best results. So, the VA might be able to help with that - I guess we are in the era of comparison sourcing for hearing aids, which is good.

Can others confirm my understanding of the situation, as laid out above? I will probably end up getting hearing aids within the next couple of years... although some of the stuff I hear these days, I will probably wish I didn't.

quote:

Originally posted by The Night Rider:

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
Since the only places to go to file, etc. are in Detroit and, IIRC, Ann Arbor, and my feeling is it's probably a waste of time, I've chosen to forego the exercise.

That could very well be one of the biggest mistakes you will EVER make.

*sigh* Don't you just hate it when people don't bother to read what you write? I do.

I do not qualify for VA healthcare. Period. As for a disability claim: My MOS did not put me at risk of hearing loss, and I would not have applied until after having been separated from the service for forty-seven years. As such: The likelihood of winning a service-related disability claim was very low. If you read the thread you will find others who tried it and got shot down. It's not a gimmie. You're not guaranteed benefits just because you were in the service and you apply.

Besides: In my mind: VA benefits are for those who both earned them and need them. I may have earned them, but, I certainly don't need them. If I can afford to go out and pay $2,000 for a pistol I can certainly afford $5,000 to improve my hearing. So even if I could have won a VA disability claim, I don't know as I would have felt right about taking advantage of it. Doubly-so because, again, if I'm being honest: I doubt my hearing loss is service-related in any way, shape, or form.

quote:

Originally posted by RoverSig:
Now, with the new rule/law, there are a number of vendors selling hearing aids for much lower prices - without a prescription.

I think you may be referring to this: Groups seek to shape final rule to ease hearing aid accessibility. The new rule is not yet in effect.

quote:

Originally posted by RoverSig:
The cool part is that many of them can be tuned to the individual hearing loss (frequencies) to boost the sound where needed, ...

If they can't, then they're hearing amplifiers, not hearing aids, per se.

If you read that article you'll find the OTC devices they're talking about may be suitable for mild to moderate hearing loss. My hearing loss is "moderately severe," so I'd need devices that require a prescription even after the new rule goes into effect.

When I say "tuned to the individual hearing loss" I mean the owner can tune them using an app on a cell phone. My understanding is that is something that used to be done only by the hearing specialist, which added to the cost.

"On the market side of things, the FDA says the change will boost competition — and also put regulators' scrutiny on companies that aren't approved to sell hearing aids but are effectively already doing so by marketing 'personal sound amplification products' (PSAPs)." Source

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
*sigh* Don't you just hate it when people don't bother to read what you write? I do.

I read what you wrote. I also read every other post in this discussion.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:I do not qualify for VA healthcare. Period.

I don't know you and I don't know your situation, this a GENERAL statement. If you have an injury/physical infirmity that's a result of your service then you DO qualify for VA Healthcare. Whether or not you choose to avail yourself of that Healthcare is entirely another matter and your choice.

My point was never that YOU need to go to the VA. My point was that you (anyone) shouldn't navigate the system on your own. The person who filed my claim WORKS FOR The Department of Veteran's Affairs and it took TWO YEARS to get my claim through the system.

I was evaluated by a third party medical provider (VES) and they determined that I was 70% disabled directly related to my service.

I'm not going to post my medical history but my original intent was hearing aids (I was Artillery my hearing loss was DAMN SURE service related).

The Evaluation Service had my medical records. THEY asked ME the questions. They checked things that I would have never thought of.

Just one example I have GERD. It was evaluated as NOT Service related even though I get Prilosec from the VA for it. I said NOTHING to the person examining me about GERD, she asked me. So obviously they had access to my records.

So the point I'm trying to make (not only to you) is that being evaluated isn't a bad idea because they MAY find something you never thought of that is a legitimate service related disability.

Last example in 1988 I slipped on a patch of ice while emplacing an M110A2 Howitzer. I tore the ligaments in my right knee and spent the next 8 months on crutches and my knee was never right again. It never occurred to me that it was a compensable injury. It wouldn't have EVER occurred to if the VA hadn't determined that it was.

So again, just throwing this out generally, "you" really don't have anything to lose by having them evaluate you.

The new rule hasn't gone into effect yet:

https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-g...counter-hearing-aids

The proposal from the FDA came out in October and won't be effective until 60 days after it's finalized, so probably late this year.