Serving Vancouver WA And The Surrounding Areas

If you have engaged in military activity on behalf of the United States, we are proud to offer hearing health assistance through The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Treatment extends to Veteran hearing tests, examinations, and hearing aids.

Dr. Lawson is a Veteran, having completed his Doctorate in Clinical Audiology while serving as an active duty audiologist at Walter Reed, so we have a special awareness of the hearing health care needs of Veterans.

If you’re in need of a hearing specialist, turn to Evergreen Audiology in Vancouver. We’ll help you understand changes in your hearing and offer your effective hearing solutions.

Veteran hearing aids and benefits can come from either of the following:

Free or reduced-cost hearing aids through VA Health Benefits
Monthly tax-free income from VA Disability Compensation

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Veteran Hearing Services

VA Disability Compensation

If your hearing loss was caused as a direct result of U.S. military service, you may be eligible for disability compensation. Find out how to apply here.

3M Lawsuit

If you served in active duty between 2003-2015 and you have hearing loss, you may be entitled to compensation through a lawsuit that 3M settled in 2018. 3M knowingly provided faulty Dual-Ended Combat Arms Earplugs (Version 2 CAEv.2) to the U.S. military for 12 years, and their settlement of $9.1 million is going to the veterans who were affected by the fraud.

Am I Eligible to Have My Visit to Evergreen Audiology Covered?

The MISSION Act of 2018 opened up more options for veterans to receive healthcare in their local communities. If you live far from a VA clinic or if there is an exceptionally long waiting time for appointments at your closest VA, your visit to Evergreen may be covered under “VA Community Care,” a provision of the MISSION Act. Here is a guide, provided by the VA, on how to take advantage of Community Care.

Tinnitus and Veterans

Tinnitus is the single most common disability affecting veterans. The VA offers hearing care, disability payments, and a progressive tinnitus management program to eligible veterans. There is no cure for tinnitus, but progressive tinnitus management can help. If you also have hearing loss, several models of hearing aids include fitment for tinnitus management.

Hearing Aids for Veterans

You can apply for VA Health Benefits online, by calling 1-877-222-VETS, or by visiting a VA healthcare facility or regional office.

Anyone who has been approved for VA Health Benefits “shall receive a hearing evaluation by a state-licensed audiologist to determine the need for hearing aids,” according to the Veterans Health Administration Directive 1034(1). Once it is determined by testing that hearing aids will be of use to you, you’ll need to file a claim with the VA. Veterans who are most likely to receive hearing aids through the VA will meet one or more of the following criteria:

You have any compensable service-connected disability.
You are a former Prisoner of War.
You have been awarded a Purple Heart.
You receive benefits under 38 U.S.C. 1151.
You receive increased pension based on the need for regular aid and attendance, or by reason of being permanently house-bound.
Your hearing impairment resulted from the existence of another medical condition for which you receive VA care, or from treatment of that medical condition.
You have significant functional or cognitive impairment evidenced by deficiencies in activities of daily living, excluding normally occurring visual or hearing impairments.
Your hearing impairment is so severe that the provision of sensori-neural aids is necessary to permit active participation in your own medical treatment.

In some cases, a veteran will need to co-pay for hearing aids, or will not qualify for any hearing care benefits.

Preventing Hearing Loss in the Military

Veterans are statistically at twice the risk of developing severe hearing loss as civilians. As always, the best medicine is prevention. Those currently serving should protect their ears with all the tools available to them, and have their hearing tested regularly to make sure they are succeeding. While hearing aids can often provide a return to near-normal hearing, it will never be quite the same as having avoided hearing loss in the first place.

You can apply for VA Health Benefits online, by calling 1-877-222-VETS, or by visiting a VA healthcare facility or regional office.

Schedule Veteran Hearing Services Today

If you’re concerned about hearing loss, Evergreen Audiology is here for you. We have advanced technology and an experienced audiologist to provide you with accurate and customized treatment options.

While a hearing test at Evergreen Audiology is free for anyone, the VA unfortunately does not automatically guarantee Hearing Aids to every Veteran who could use them. Our staff will work with you and the VA to determine what benefits are available to you at this time.