Started drawing SS in 2016 started VA benefits in 2019 or 2020 did not affect my SS
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Thanks for the info.
Your SS benefits will remain the same, and if youāre eligible for a VA disability for hearing loss, or tinnitus, youāll also receive a monthly check from the VA with the same COLA % as SS.
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Not only does it not affect your SS, but you also donāt even report the amount on your income when paying your taxes
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Well I just received notification from the VA Claim that I reopened that my disability has been increased from 20% to 50% this is a much larger jump than I expected. It means that my monthly payments increase and a good possibility that I my not have to pay nearly as much property tax. And my license plate for our vehicle will have disabled veteran on it.
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Iāve been drawing SS and VA 100% disability and can confirm that SS did not drop at all when VA kicked in. Each State has its own ways it treats veterans. In SC as a totally disabled vet we pay no propert tax and get up to two disabled vet plates with no expiration dates plus many more perks. Hereās a link to how every state handles veterans State/Territory Benefits | The Official Army Benefits Website
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Do I congratulate you for this?
I mean, itās great that youāre getting increased disability $$, but Iām sorry your hearing has diminished so much.
I hope it stabilizes for you, Chuck!
Best of luck, and Thank you for your service!!
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I am a veteran (drafted in 1970) with no military related disabilities. I have severe hearing loss related to genetics. I had a hearing test at the VA five years ago and I qualified for HAs. Wearing Phonak P90R from the VA now. If I had known about the VAās HA program sooner, I would have qualified sooner.
Only paperwork involved seemed to be my DD214 and some standard home/contact info. That seems to be much less paperwork than qualifying through a military disability.
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Their policy has only changed over the last 10 years or so. When I first applied about 10 years ago for VA health care I was denied any help because they said I made too much money! Was news to meš³ they told me the only way I could qualify was if I had a disability rating. After numerous years of paperwork I now have two 100% ratings I would have never had if they had just helped me with hearing aids.
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Thanks to all who have responded. My Vet has had all the responses read to him. We are grateful for the information.
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My experience is maybe a little different than others.
A couple of yrs ago, during a regular visit with my VA doc, he asked when my last hearing exam was.i told him I didnāt know, maybe 39yd ago when I got of the army? So he scheduled me for a hearing exam and lo, I discover I need aids. I thought my hearing was fine, but after wearing them, I can tell there is a difference.
I was fitted for the hearing aids and the VA didnāt charge me anything.
Fast forward to this spring, and because Iāve got Tinnitus, I applied for disability. The exam went well, and the audiologist said sheād even try to get me disability for my hearing loss, since I was around loud noises while in service.
I got the disability for the tinnitus, but was given a 0 rating on the hearing loss. Basically, the VA acknowledges I have a service connected issue, but because of my high word recognition score, didnāt feel I needed money for it. Thatās fine, the zero rating still allows me to recieve care for my hearing, including new hearing aids when and if needed.
The hearing exam was in May, in September I was notified of the above. And they cut me a check for back payments of the Tinnitus disability from May to Sept. So thereās that. Now I get the disability check towards the end of the month. They prefer direct deposit.
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My experience with the VA might be a little different. I was told, many times, that I did not qualify for VA healthcare. Someone on this forum suggested that I just apply anyway. I did, and heard back in just a couple of days that I had been accepted. I went for a medical consultation first. I donāt have much faith in the doctor I saw, and havenāt been back to him since. But, I will say that the clinic is very efficient. I was seen at exactly my appointment time. The nurse did the blood and urine tests very quickly, and I was out the door in less than 15 minutes. It didnāt take long to get a hearing test appointment, and the subsequent test confirmed what I already knew. They asked if I thought that my hearing loss was service connected. Though I was subjected to some loud sounds in the military, I couldnāt honestly say that that was the cause. Things didnāt go so well from here. I was given aids that just werenāt for me. I think they are probably good aids, but I just couldnāt wear them, so I returned them. Next, I was given Phonak Marvels, but I donāt think they were properly programmed. Then, my relationship with VA Audiology deteriorated pretty badly. A year or 2 later, they opened a new clinic in my area with Audiology. I have since established a relationship with the new, young Audiologist there. She gave me new Paradise aids, even though it wasnāt yet time for me to get new aids. I donāt think the new aids are programmed properly either, but I am not going back to complain. I had a couple of issues with my Marvels, and the clinic handled them promptly. They even gave me a Roger remote mic when I requested one. I wonāt likely be going back unless I have a failure with the new aids. I suppose the moral to my story is that the VA is there, and provides care for vets. The quality of that care can vary, and you have to just keep trying.
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It mostly depends on attitude, I have dealt with the VA almost 20 years with excellent results. I have been to a number of clinics in several states with wonderful results. I will repeat it all depends on attitude
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I visited another clinic than the one Iād been getting help for my hearing from all along. And they looked at my hearing aids like theyād been beamed down from the enterprise. They told me up front they are an Oticon shop. They were curious about my hearing aids, but could offer no help whatsoever. Friendly. Nice. But told me to go back to where I started.
WH
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That I s very possibly, it seems to depend on the clinic, the audiologist and the audiology department director. I personally havenāt run into that issue. Before coming here to Hot Springs Arkansas the clinics have all been very large with a large number of audiologists. The clinic here now has 2 audiologists and another one being looked for and a hearing aid specialist to do the impressions and easy repairs and mailings. My audiologist doesnāt shy away from any hearing aid brand that the VA system contracts for, but I have hear of some VA clinics only doing one or two brands.
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Totally not fair of you to take this attitude! Vets of a certain age group were treated like dirt by the VA for years/decades. We kinda are waiting for the other shoe to drop when someone says āThanks for your serviceā. When I first went in service, protestors heckled young service members. We were spat upon, called baby killers and generally shunned because of our service to the country (voluntary or draftees).
VA had a habit of under-rating disabilities to save the government some money. They generally used every underhanded trick in the book to get us to walk away and give up. Iām betting that John_Green is one of those veterans that was burned by the āsystemā.
I have another friend (vet) that was treated so bad for so long, that he gave up and has been paying for his own hearing aids for years.
Iām not trying to blast you for your statement, but there are sometimes that there is a lot more to these situations that has been stated. Cut him some slack,
Respectfully,
Dan
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Well said Dan, civility and respect costs you nothing 
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I saw it while in the Navy from 1968 - 1977 on the newscasts, but never experienced it personally. I have to say that I was treated well. But while stationed in San Diego and San Francisco was told to only wear civilian clothes off base. But I did go in uniform a few times without any issues. Now I didnāt get into the VA system until 2004 when my hearing became so bad I had to have help. The VA has always been great to me once I was approved for hearing aids. I get most of my medical needs from the VA and find it as good or better than what I have gotten from the private sector. I have used a number of VA clinics in 2 states always gotten reasonably quick service and appointments even same day treatment. I will repeat my statement that attitude makes a world of difference.
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Chuck, While I mostly agree with your comments, there are a lot of older vets that were screwed over by the VA.
I was gonna make a long post here about it, but have changed my mind. Suffice it to say that many were damaged by their service.
While the VA is way better than it was in decades past, the scars they inflicted on vets are real (at least to them).
OK, now off my soap box.
Dan
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What do you call older vets I am 75, my dad was in the Navy during WW2 and would have been during the Korean War if it hadnāt been for his VA disability rating. He was a Gunnerās Mate and was severely hard of hearing, and also had a large shell dropped on his foot and ankle and couldnāt wear a normal shoe off the shelf. He was treated like royalty by the VA in the South Dallas VA Hospital. And I was treated well by the same VA Clinics.
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