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Maj. Jillyen Curry-Mathis, Army Hearing Program Manager – Europe, makes a custom hearing protection device for an Army aviator while deployed. The custom-made ear molds integrated with the pilot’s communication earplug. The new fit solved the problem of the foam encasing breaking down on long flights, leading to sore ears and unprotected hearing.
Hearing loss is among the top four injuries sustained by Soldiers in combat and one of the costliest VA-compensated disabilities to date.
The Soldier’s mission, training and work environments frequently put hearing at risk. Although preventable, permanent hearing loss is a reality for many men and women in uniform. Is a Soldier’s career over once the injury occurs?
Many think so and avoid hearing tests. This may actually hurt a Soldier’s career, because it delays taking steps to reduce the risk of loss progression and remain combat effective.
The key to dealing with hearing loss is catching it early. Hearing loss is an injury that is painless and bloodless. In most cases, Soldiers do not even realize the injury has occurred.
The basic premise behind annual hearing tests is early identification of changes in hearing sensitivity. If hearing loss can be caught early, intervention strategies can be started before it impacts performance.
These strategies may vary from simple education to the fitting of tactical protective and communication systems or sophisticated hearing aids.
The goal of the hearing program provider, known as an audiologist, is to provide the tools and knowledge that will enable the Soldier to perform effectively while preventing the loss from getting worse.
An audiologist will also issue profiles for Soldiers with significant hearing loss. Profiles simply inform commanders of Soldier status.
Commanders constantly work to mitigate risk when preparing for missions, and Soldier injuries must be included as part of the risk
assessment.
Contrary to popular belief, however, profiles actually make Soldiers deployable, outlining what the hearing loss means and what actions must be taken in preparation for going downrange.
In general, H2 profiles have little to no impact on a Soldier’s career. The problem arises when the hearing loss progresses to an H3 rating. All permanent 3 profiles require a board to determine if the Soldier can be retained, must be re-classed or requires separation from service.
The provider’s recommendation to the board is based on the results of a speech test that is weighted by number of years in service.
The weighting means that most senior service members are retained or re-classed to a less noisy MOS, while more junior members are re-classed or separated from service.
It is never too late to deal with hearing loss. If you are due for your annual hearing evaluation or suspect you may have a hearing injury, get a test. If a hearing technician says you need to return for follow-up, do it. With continued noise exposure, hearing loss will progress; it will not remain unchanged.
As one first sergeant recently said, “I need to get ahead of this loss” and he was absolutely correct.
Do the follow-ups, get medically fit with hearing protection, use earplugs consistently in noise, and see an audiology provider for support when referred.
The Army has a vested interest in keeping experienced Soldiers combat effective, but they need to be able to deploy safely.
