John,
As a rangemaster was hearing protection not an option? Just curious.
were you in Vietnam? or any other combat zone since? using the internet application is a crap shoot at best. find your local VSO office (lamost every county in the US has one) and have them submit the paperwork for you. they will be able to tell you exactly what you are entitled to. they will complete the Healthcare paperwork for you and they will also complete the paperwork for a disability rating (this will take at least a year or more)
Yes, and I always wore it. But like any firearms range, people sometimes fire weapons without advising others they are about to fire. We also had a choice between earplugs or headsets and the plugs do not give as much protection. On a given day as a rangemaster you will be on the line around 6 hours, qualifying between 40 and 60 shooters with handguns, rifles, and shotguns.
John
John,
You’re lucky you have any hearing left. I was told in the 4th grade by an ENT to forget about firing guns even with hearing protection, forget about rock concerts and if I used power tools to always use ear protection. I followed his advice and kept from needing HA’s for 40 years, although my wife would say I should have gotten them 10 years earlier.
HI Sheriff,
I am also a Police Officer and a firearms instructor. I have been on the job for about 17 years. I have been a f/a for 13 years and have been shooting for 34 years. I have been visiting this site since March of this year for information due to a recent AUDI visit.
In the 1990’s I went to college and had to take a language. I was having a hard time with the labs (all audio tape). I had a hearing test then. I had severe loss in the high tone in both ears and the next tone down in my right ear. I could only hear a watch alarm if it was less than 2 feet from my ear.
Fast forward…I’m 39 years old. I claim my kids mumble, wife too (maybe selective hearing here), and the TV is at 96-100 to hear the conversation (that is out of a max of 100). I just finished three days of training in a classroom and had a difficult time hearing some of other attendees.
Last April I went to a local AUDI for a free test. I have moderate to severe hearing loss above 2k. We discussed what I was looking for as far a options and what I expected from the device. He recommended a Siemens Pure 501 or a 701. Since I am still on the job I am looking at the 701. I was told the cost would be $5000 for the 701 and $4000 for the 501. I have three kids, mortgage, car payments (just like a lot of other people) and the money is not available. The town changed insurance policies and I asked for them to consider a rider for H/A and was told no. I have placed a call to workman’s compensation for assistance. I was given some direction. The Audi I spoke with has not dealt with this angle before. I am going to re-initiate contact in order to move forward sooner than later.
I am looking at more than firearms as the culpret here. Since going to college and becoming a Police Officer I have been very religious in wearing hearing protection (the only exception was 1. discharge of a firearm in the roadway to put down an injured animal and 1. discharge of a rifle inside a house to protect myself from a dog attack.). I have been able to obtain a sound suppressor for my rifle and I have bought a set of MSA electronic muffs to wear with foam plugs. I feel most of my loss can be contributed to the two factors above, the sirens, and loud engines on crash/fire/rescue scenes.
In your case I would make an appointment with the VA. My Father was in the ARMY in Vietnam and was Artillery for his 20 year career. He lost hearing in one ear due to surgery. He has a VA supplied H/A in his other ear. Stick with the VA a long as you can.
Good Luck,
Mike
Mike,
Contact your states office of rehabilitation and see if they can help. I would think that you would need to hear at a certain level to keep your job, so that is where the rehab comes in. Good luck!
Thought I would update. I filed a Worker’s Comp claim not long after I posted the first message. It’s taken several months to get through the system and get a QME Panel Dr. to do an evaluation. I have an appointment this coming Friday. Not sure what to expect, other than a hearing test and evaluation. I understand he writes a report either supporting or denying my claim.
I’ve been reading the forum daily and have gained a lot of knowledge so thanks to all of your regular posters 
Good Luck in your coming evaluation.
Just remember that everything you say or don’t say, and everything you’ve ever said or not said is important.
The ENT/Audi appointment went well. The ENT classified my hearing loss as work related. Just waiting for him to submit his report to County HR. One thing I’m not sure of. The Audi who conducted my hearing test is only recommending one hearing aid (for my right ear). He said the numbers on the left were a little better than my first test and he does not see any benefit for an HA at this point. He based this on a better score for word desc. I’m thinking the difference might be the fist Audi was female and I had a harder time hearing her. So… the ENT is only signing off on one HA at this time, with retests every couple of years. Not so sure this is going to work for me as I have trouble hearing my wife, daughter, and grand daughters and think two aids would be better.
SJ
Yeah…I think the one hearing aid rec was off the mark given your hearing test results. Unless you had significantly less discrimination for speech in one ear than the other (and I mean like <30%) then I always recommend 2 hearing aids.
OK, I posted my original message in July. It took some time going through the worker’s comp system, but the county has agreed to cover my hearing loss. They pay for a set of hearing aids every five years plus batteries. Any accessories are on my dime. I had my first appointment with the new Audi last week. Had to firm up some issue with the adjuster, but I should have my first set of hearing aids next week. I really like this Audi. He’s recommending Starkey Wi i110’s. I researched them and they look promising. Any comments on the Starkey’s?
you might want to read the posts on here about the Surflink Mobile… i’m not a Starkey fan but there are those who seem to like them.
Thanks Larry, been doing that. I see some good, some bad. Since this is my first go-round, I guess I’ll have a lot to learn.
SJ
Glad you got a set and not just one aid, your loss is pretty much the same on both ears.
Thanks, there was delay while the worker’s comp folks reviewed what was recommended. Audi has ordered the Starkey Wi i110’s along with suflink (as it turns out the county is paying for it all). Hoping they will be in today or tomorrow.
SJ
OK, so I picked up the Starkey Wi i110’s this afternoon and have been wearing them about 8 hours now. I don’t know if I’m one of the lucky ones, but so far no major issues. The sound is pretty natural, the fit is good, and I barley notice they are there. I got the Surflink Mobile and the Surflink Media. Both are working as advertised. A couple of minor issues. The volume on cellphone calls is a little low and I can’t change programs using the HA (it’s set up so that volume is on the left and programs are supposed to be on the right). I have a follow-up on Friday and will hopefully resolve those issues.
SJ
Sounds like you are off to a great start. Good luck with them. I am retired LE from AF - OSI.
Thanks Scotty, I was was an SP in the USAF and Air Guard.
Thus far I’ve been happy with the Starkey Wi i110’s. My Audi has slowly upped the gain and I’m doing well with them and I really don’t have any complaints. That being said, I ride motorcycles a lot. I belong to the largest Law Enforcement Club in the world with chapters in 27 countries and over 25000 members worldwide. I found it annoying that I could not wear my hearing RIC aids while wearing my helmet so… I elected to get a pair of CIC’s as a back-up. I took possession of two Starkey Ignite i30’s this afternoon. While they are lower end and not quite as good as my i110’s, I think they will do the trick. I can mute them while I ride so they act like ear plugs for all the engine and wind noise. I pop off my helmet, hit the remote and I’m up and running 
So, I’m currently a happy camper. And… I got a great deal on them.
Ride with Pride!
SJ
Glad everything worked out. I really have nothing to add. Just want to say thank you for all you and your fellow officer brothers do for all of us to keep us safe! It is so appreciated, and I am in awe of your bravery.