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I'm a veteran, age 66, with tinnitus and a hearing loss that started when I was in the Army. I recently got hearing aids from the VA after learning about the program form my counselor at the Disabled American Veterans.

It turns out that any honorably discharged veteran is eligible for free hearing aids from the VA. Contact your VA hospital or clinic for an appointment. Be sure to have your DD 214 when you apply.

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this is true, and they take very good care of their patients, so says my dad. hes ww2 vet. he gets his hearing aids from the VA. good thing because they are costly otherwise..
now if the VA can only replace our tv sets, he keeps blowing out the sound from turning it up to high! no kidding, hes gone through 3 tvs already. i keep offering to hook up a speaker so he can the volume up on that rather than the tv volume, but nope..
his batterys keep going out, or so he says. i think he just doesnt want to hear me. but one thing that bugs me.. he always uses the oven timer for EVERYTHING but he cant hear it going off ! why set the thing if you cant hear it? who knows
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I am in desperate need of assistance for buying hearing aids for my dad. he is 85 and has profound hearing loss in both ears. he can not afford new hearing aids. He is a veteran as well. Please let me know how I can get him help!!!!!!Despearate
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It's not true that the VA gives free hearing aids to all veterans that need them.

I am a 75 year old veteran. I flew almost 2,000 hours as a radio operator on a Navy P2V-7 flight crew. At that time we didn't wear ear protection. I haven't worked in a noisy environment since getting out of the Navy nor am I a hunter so I haven't been exposed to gun fire. The loud jet engine noise and the dits and dahs and squeals through my radio operator headphones is the loudest environment I've ever worked in.

I began having hearing problems 15 or 20 years ago. About 10 years ago I applied to the VA for hearing aids. They refused me.

They told me that because my records from the Navy did not show that I had complained about a hearing problem while I was in the Navy, I didn't qualify.

So apparently if there isn't something in your military health records about your hearing, you can't get hearing aids from the VA.
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where do I go for hearing aids
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Try the local Lion's Club in your area. They have programs for free eyeglasses and hearing aids if your monthly income level lower than 200% of poverty level.
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I'm an 80% disabled Vietnam Veteran but the VA in Missouri told me you had to be service connected in order to get free hearing aids. In other words your hearing was lost while you was on active duty due to an injury. Who is right??
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Freejack1950. Go to your county VA office and have them intervene.

Spadooly, You need to file a claim with the VA for your hearing loss and Tinitis issues. I'm a former P-3 aircrewman and I too have significant hearing loss. I'm also a hunter and a trap shooter. Even though we were provided with hearing protection muffs during my service, I still was given a 10% service connected disability for my hearing issues.
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I have an appointment this month to get my second pair of hearing aids from the VA. I was told that you have to have a service connected hearing loss to be eligible. The batteries are also free and come from a company in Texas.
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My 83 year old husband served as a Lieutenant in the Navy during the Korean War. He needs hearing aids and wonder if they are available to him through the VA. He is on medicare and a supplement.
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Hearing aids from VA belong to the gov or can be sold/donated to other person in need one we are done with it? Thanks
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Go to the VA and if you are a veteran, even if the hearing loss isn't service connected, you will get hearing aids. All they do is test, and if you have profound loss you get hearing aids. It proves you need hearing aids to conduct your own medical care. Also for legally blind. Same thing.
My husband is waiting for his. They are ordered. You also get free batteries and other connections for your TV and telephone to work with the Hearing aids.
Go for it. All veterans deserve it. Hearing aids are very expensive.
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My dad has been getting his hearing aids through the VA for 15 years. His hearing is not service related. He was also able to get a device that he wears around his neck that allows calls from cell phone to go right into the hearing aid that was provided by the VA. No income requirements. Call the audiology dept. of your local VA. His hearing aids and the device were made by Phonak. If they don't fit properly or make your ears sore, make another appointment and they will fix molds or make you new ones. The VA also installed a stairchair lift im my home because he is now living with me. Thst would need to come from an order from your primary care physician.
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our county VA service officer is wonderful. He helps us look up everything and then if the VA for some reason seems to be resisting benefits that we feel we are entitles to, go to the social worker at your local VA who will also help you. It took me a lot of talking and paperwork but my dad who is a WWII veteran and 97 years old is finally getting all the help he needs. He is also purple heart. They can't do enough for him. It took him years to get his Purple heart benefits, you just have to keep fighting for it. If the person you are talking to doesn't give you the answers you want then talk to someone else. Good Luck.
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Yes, here in Houston the VA told my Dad (Korean Vet) that they could not offer him ANYTHING because hearing loss comes with age and we have to prove its service connected. This despite the fact that the hearing loss was worsened by the meds they gave my Dad when he was in ICU for over 3 months for a medical error on their part that almost killed him.
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I am a Veteran i am only 10% service connected but not for hearing. I got hearing aids. Your primary has to refer then they do a hearing test. If you are hearing impaired you will get top of the line hearing aids. I am relatively young and got mine at age 49 4 years ago. Changed my life. I have a pendant I wear aroynd my neck and I can take calls and they go thru my hearing aids. I can also listen to music and TV thru them. The VA supplys all accesorys. My dad is 83 and has no service connection and just got hearing aids. Hearing aids are supplied without service connection!
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Thank you one and all. I so very much appreciate the info. I have some hope now.
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I worked on and flew P2V aircraft 50 years ago as an ADJ mechanic. What's your advice on tinnitus claim after all these years. Also near complete hearing lose in one ear and at least 50% in the other
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Your hearing loss does not have to be service connected to get hearing aids. My dad uses his personal insurance for all of his doctors. However, he sees a primary physician at the vet one or two times each year. This keeps him in the VA system and allows him other benefits. He received his first pair of hearing aids over 15 yrs ago. He also received knee braces, a wheelchair, walker and stairchairs. Dad recently moved into my home. My dads disability is only 10%. He needed many if these items due to general age related decline, not as a result of his disability. Make an appointment with a primary care physician to get into the system and he/she will explain the process to get the hearing aids. Good luck
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Veterans can also get hearing aids without service related injuries if their income falls below a minimum set by VA. This is also true for free or reduced medical care. Check with VA for services available for low income Veterans.
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Cecil, I just got hearing aids for my father in his late 90's. He served during WWII. It's not too late for you to get hearing aids.

We needed a letter from an ENT stating that it was "as likely as not" that his hearing loss was service related, in heavy bombers. That letter was forwarded to the local County Vets assistance office, which prepared additional paperwork and forwarded it to the American Legion office for processing.

Another hearing exam was subsequently performed by a doctor contracted directly by the VA. His findings substantiated the private sector ENT doctor, and the VA granted the claim of service connected disability.

We had 3 appointments at a VA outpatient facility to get the hearing aids. The first was with one of the team PCPs, who essentially performed the intake process and got things started. The second was with an ENT technician, who performed another hearing test to evaluate specific hearing deficits and ranges of deficits, and the third was to get the hearing aids fitted and adjusted properly to Dad's hearing needs.

As to filing a claim for service connected disability for hearing loss, go for it!
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Just got back from the audiology department in Madison, WI. I am currently serving in the Nation Guard and am only 51 years old with profound hearing loss above 4K...must be 80 dB for me to hear it. I have no service connected claim pending or am I rated for any disability. I was told that hearing aids will help with the tinnitus and may help with other issues of hearing. I asked how much they would cost and was told that hearing aids are FREE to ALL veterans. The only thing I will have to pay for is the specialists charge.
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What is the maximum annual income a vet may have in order to qualify for obtaining "free" hearing aids and where must the source of this income be derived from?
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What is the maximum annual income and where must it be derived from for a vet to obtain "free" hearing aids?
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Income did not come into play for my dad. Hearing aids were free. He had been in the VA system for years and his primary doc there suggested he make an appt with the audiology dept., my dad was not even aware that he was able to get the hearing aids at no cost. They also provided a device that hangs around his neck (similar to a Bluetooth device) that allows his cell phone calls to go directly into his heSring aids and this device can also be hooked up SI the sound from TV goes to his hearing aids too. You could probably get some help thru your local veterans post. Do not pay anyone to help you, these are not ligimate organizations. If you are already in the VA SYSTEM, just make an audiology appt. Good luck.
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I'm a Vietnam era vet and my disabilities include a hearing loss associated with combat. Now 68, I decided to pursue this with the VA. Ended up with a disability assessment that included a 10% associated with my hearing. Made a few trips to the VA Hospital in Hampton, VA, and just received a top of the line set of OTICON Minirites. Amazing....and I can't thank these folks enough. Complete with a bluetooth sender for the TV, these things are nearly invisible and easy to use. Worth the time and effort to try and get. They also seem to help mask my tinnitus......I guess they would sell for $5 or $6K in the retail world. Definitely give your local contacts a call if you think you need.
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Hatteras looked up these hesring aids and they really do look promising. Am I correct in that you don't have a esr mold but a esr bud? Thanks
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Rosebush.....no ear mold with these small gems. They are easy to use and totally invisible. Easy to insert and remove. There is a small piece that sits behind the ear and then a transparent wire that goes into a cup that sits inside of the ear canal. Can't recommend them tooooo much!
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Hatteras, do you know if the VA is providing these to as a matter of course in lieu of the kind that fit inside the ear? My father has the insertion kind and has a difficult time getting them in and out. Something that just slips behind the ear would be a lot easier.

I think though that there is a time limit before he could get another pair; however, we might be willing to pay for them if they're reasonable. The VA has the best hearing department we've experienced, far better than any of the commercial outfits.
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Thanks Hatteras. I know the only reason I found out about the part that hangs around neck was another vet told me in the waiting. When it was dads turn to go into the office i mentioned the device and the audiologist said sure you can get it, I didn't realize you used a cell phone. For me the cell is my dads lifeline to me. He texts me or calls in morning to let me know he is awake. On the way home from va I was in backseat if car, dad in front and he kept saying he couldn't hear me so I called him on his cell! So much better then repeating myself. I did look up your hearing aids and they are recommended for profound hearing loss. Can't wait until the next appt. Thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas
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No problem. I LOVE these little guys. And they have several volume levels that you can easily change...plus secondary background noise screening if you so want. Best of luck...the VA did fine by me. Merry Merry ....and I hope your dad gets the help he needs.
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