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How can we support veterans with hearing loss?

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There are more than 1.7 million veterans who currently receive compensation for tinnitus (a.k.a. ringing in the ears) and more 1.1 million veterans who receive compensation for hearing loss, making hearing loss one of the most service-connected disabilities among U.S. veterans, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. To compare this to non-veterans, the CDC found that veterans are 30% more likely to suffer from severe hearing loss than those who haven’t served. Exposure to gunfire, blasts, and loud noises associated with equipment, tanks and aircrafts can cause everything from auditory processing issues (or understanding speech in loud environments) to severe hearing loss. 

With the U.S. getting ready to observe Memorial Day and many countries looking forward to recognizing active military and veterans in November, the HeardThat team wanted to take a moment to appreciate all those who have served their countries.

Hearing loss doesn’t just affect someone’s social life, it impacts one’s mental health and sense of connection to their friends and family. 

Correlation of hearing loss and mental health issues

A previous HeardThat blog highlighted early signs of hearing loss, including feeling unbalanced and disconnected from family and friends. Veterans have the added stressors of experiencing trauma in combat or training, which can lead to additional mental health challenges: 

  • One study found veterans experiencing bilateral hearing loss were nearly three times as likely to experience posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)  

  • Another study found that 72% of veterans with tinnitus were also diagnosed with anxiety, 60% had depression, and 58% had both conditions.

While hearing loss usually isn’t the root cause of such issues, it does exacerbate them. We encourage anyone, veteran or not, who is struggling with mental health challenges to speak to someone. We’ve included mental health resources for the U.S. and Canada below. 

Benefits and communications tech

There are resources for veterans. For example, U.S. veterans that qualify for Veterans Affairs (VA) service connections can get help accessing hearing aids for free or at a low cost. In fact, the VA buys one in five hearing aids sold annually in the U.S. In Canada, the Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) provides hearing-related benefits for those that qualify, which include hearing aid assessments and fittings, hearing aids and their accessories. 

Beyond medically and FDA-approved devices like hearing aids, there are other options for veterans to improve their hearing when they’re on the phone, watching TV or out with friends or family. Many of these options are available on the VA App Store. Transcription and live caption settings are one way they can stay connected in communications platforms like Zoom and Google Meet. They can connect their cell phones to earbuds to increase the volume directly in their ears or use apps designed to amplify sound during conversations, though we’ve found a major issue for those with hearing loss is that simply amplifying or reducing sounds doesn’t help them converse in loud environments. The HeardThat app was designed to work with anyone’s smartphone device and ear accessory of choice (Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids, headphones or earbuds) to specifically separate speech from sound. HeardThat is free for a limited time on the App Store (iOS) and Google Play Store (Android). 

U.S. mental health resources

  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-825

  • Mental Health America crisis center: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) 

Canada mental health resources