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Hearing Loss Association of America

Resources Available for Veterans with Hearing Loss

Submitted by Nancy Macklin, HLAA Director of Events and Marketing

When an initial report from the Department of Veterans Affairs estimated that more than 59,000 military members are on disability for hearing loss from Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) was called into action to show support to veterans and their families.

HLAA created the following opportunities for veterans:

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  • New Welcome Vets of OIF and OEF page on HLAA's website www.hearingloss.org that provides information about how to deal with hearing loss and offers resources for additional support. Articles on topics such as tinnitus, communication tips, captioned phones, and assistive devices also are posted on the page.
  • Complimentary membership for veterans. Membership includes the bi-monthly Hearing Loss Magazine, an award-winning publication that contains the latest information on products, services, research, and technology in the hearing health care field, as well as encouraging and inspirational personal stories of people who are hard of hearing. The magazine is a "lifeline" that encourages readers to live well with hearing loss.
  • Complimentary registration to HLAA's annual convention; Convention 2011 will be held in Washington, DC, June 16 - 19.
  • Ongoing support to veterans enrolled at Rochester Institute of Technology/National Technical Institute for the Deaf (RIT/NTID). HLAA works with RIT/NTID to enable vets to gain access to support (real-time captioning and notetaking) and audiological services at the school.

In addition, Dr. Gene Bratt, chief of the Audiology and Speech Pathology Service at the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, was guest speaker at the Opening Session of the HLAA Convention 2009 in Nashville, and for HLAA's monthly webinar in January 2010. Dr. Bratt emphasized that the VA audiology program goes beyond the evaluation of hearing loss and issuance of hearing aids; it also evaluates and manages tinnitus and balance problems; some locations also provide aural rehabilitation.

HLAA-related information and resources:

Hearing Loss Association of America: www.hearingloss.org
National Technical Institute for the Deaf: www.rit.edu/ntid/veterans
Veterans with Hearing Loss Project PDF document: http://www.hearingloss.org/veterans/docs/fall_winter2009_7_RIT-NTID.pdf
Dr. Gene Bratt's Webinar: http://bit.ly/7N63h7
PDF transcript of the webinar: http://www.hearingloss.org/Community/docs/01-20-2010_Webinar_DrBratt.pdf

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