Hearing loss compensation runs through different legislation depending on when you served — the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (MRCA) for service after mid-2004, and the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 (VEA) or Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988 (DRCA) for earlier periods. Whichever Act applies, the underlying task is the same: showing your hearing loss is connected to noise exposure during your time in uniform.
A lot of veterans quietly write off hearing loss as just part of having served, and never lodge anything. That's an expensive assumption — even moderate loss can carry a real impairment rating, and accepted hearing loss brings ongoing funded access to hearing aids for life, not just a one-off payment.
Why Hearing Loss Shows Up So Often in Veterans
Few workplaces generate the sustained noise levels routine in ADF service — jet engines on a flight deck, artillery batteries, small arms ranges, and armoured vehicle interiors all sit well above safe exposure thresholds. The cochlear damage this causes is cumulative and permanent, and standard hearing tests during service often miss early-stage damage that only becomes apparent years later. Combat engineers, infantry, cavalry, RAAF ground crew, and naval personnel working near flight decks carry the highest exposure, but genuinely anyone who spent time on a range, in a noisy vehicle, or near heavy machinery has grounds worth checking.
What the Statement of Principles requires
DVA measures every claim against a Statement of Principles (SoP) — a legally binding document setting out the specific factors that can connect a condition to service. Here are the pathways that most often apply to hearing loss claims, in plain language.
Cumulative workplace noise exposure
Exposure to cumulative noise of at least 85 dB(A) LAeq8h for a total period of at least 5 years — the main pathway for most veterans.
A single acoustic trauma event
Exposure to a peak sound pressure level of at least 130 dB(A) on one occasion — a single very loud event, rather than exposure over time.
Gunfire or explosion without adequate protection
Attendance at a firing event or explosion generating noise above the relevant impulse-noise threshold.
Ototoxic medication exposure
Exposure to a recognised ototoxic substance, including aminoglycoside antibiotics, cisplatin, and quinine derivatives used during service.
How DVA Approaches the Impairment Assessment
Hearing loss is one of the more objective assessments in the system — your result comes from an audiogram measuring permanent threshold shift across key speech frequencies in both ears, run through a standard formula (the National Acoustic Laboratories method) to produce a single binaural percentage. That formula weights your better ear more heavily than your worse one, so bilateral loss produces a higher combined figure than one-sided loss of the same severity. An age-related deduction also applies — DVA subtracts an amount attributable to normal ageing (presbycusis) using standard tables, so the same audiogram can produce different results depending on your age at assessment. Because of that, getting assessed sooner rather than later, while more of the loss is attributable to service rather than age, generally preserves a stronger claim.
The evidence that decides it
Most initial liability decisions currently take DVA somewhere between 3 and 6 months, longer for complex or multi-condition claims. A complete, well-organised submission up front tends to shorten that wait considerably.
- A full audiologist report — pure tone audiometry and speech discrimination across all standard frequencies
- Service records showing noise-hazardous postings, weapons qualifications, and relevant deployments
- Any workplace noise exposure history: unit records, platform logs, or a statutory declaration from yourself or a colleague
- Prior audiometric results from during your ADF career, obtainable through Defence Health records
- Medical history noting when hearing loss was first identified and how it has progressed
- A personal statement covering your specific noise exposures, hearing protection use, and how symptoms have developed
On the PAMT list
Hearing Loss is one of the conditions covered by Provisional Access to Medical Treatment, meaning funded treatment could begin before DVA reached a liability decision. This included:
- Hearing aids, fully funded including fitting and ongoing servicing
- Audiologist assessments and review appointments
- Cochlear implant assessment where clinically indicated
- Hearing rehabilitation programs
Questions veterans ask about Hearing Loss
Does a GP hearing check count, or do I need a formal audiogram?
You'll need a proper audiologist assessment with full audiometric testing — a GP screening check on its own generally isn't detailed enough to support a claim.
I always wore hearing protection. Is it still worth claiming?
Yes. Protection reduces but doesn't eliminate exposure, and cumulative noise over a career can still exceed the SoP threshold even with protection worn consistently.
My hearing loss is only in one ear. Does that still count?
One-sided loss is still claimable, though the binaural weighting formula means it typically produces a lower combined percentage than the same degree of loss in both ears.
I was discharged years ago and have only just had a hearing test. Is it too late?
No — degenerative and noise-related conditions are commonly claimed long after discharge. What matters is establishing the exposure occurred during service, not when you were eventually tested.
Will the age deduction wipe out my claim?
It reduces the assessed impairment attributable to service, but it doesn't disqualify a claim outright. Earlier assessment generally means less of your result gets attributed to normal ageing.
What if my exposure spans service under more than one Act?
That's common and manageable — your claim gets assessed under whichever Act applies to the relevant period of service, and a properly prepared claim will address each period separately.
Does DVA actually pay for hearing aids?
Yes — once accepted, hearing aids and related fittings are funded on an ongoing basis through your Veteran Card, at no cost to you.
Related conditions
The same service exposure that causes hearing loss often produces related conditions that are separately claimable. It's worth having these assessed at the same time rather than as an afterthought.
Ready to Look Into a Hearing Loss Claim?
Book a free consultation and we'll go through whether your circumstances meet the SoP factors, what evidence would strengthen your case, and what to expect next.
This page is general information, not medical, legal, or financial advice. Statement of Principles factors, thresholds, and program details are current as at the update date above but can change — always confirm against your own determination letter and the current SoP instrument. For medical concerns, speak with a qualified health professional; for legal advice, a solicitor experienced in military compensation law.
