What can I claim secondary to conductive hearing loss?
1 condition in the Repatriation Medical Authority's Statements of Principles list conductive hearing loss as a factor. If DVA has accepted your conductive hearing loss, each of these has a documented pathway to a further claim.
At a glance
- Accepted conditionConductive hearing loss
- Conditions it may open1
- SourceRMA SoPs
- Chart Review$600 + GST
How a secondary claim works
Some Statement of Principles factors are not about service at all — they name another condition. Where DVA has already accepted your conductive hearing loss, and another condition's SoP lists conductive hearing loss as a factor, that part of the next claim is already established on your file. How a secondary claim works, in full →
Conditions that list conductive hearing loss as a factor
Quoted from the instrument. A pathway existing is not the same as a claim succeeding — each factor carries thresholds your record has to satisfy.
Tinnitus
RH No. 84 of 2020 · BoP No. 85 of 2020
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (4): “having sensorineural hearing loss or conductive hearing loss at the time of the clinical onset of tinnitus” [clinical onset] — factor (43): “having sensorineural hearing loss or conductive hearing loss at the time of the clinical worsening of tinnitus” [worsening]
Balance of Probabilities — factor (4): “having sensorineural hearing loss or conductive hearing loss at the time of the clinical onset of tinnitus” [clinical onset] — factor (36): “having sensorineural hearing loss or conductive hearing loss at the time of the clinical worsening of tinnitus” [worsening]
Other accepted conditions that also open tinnitus
If any of these is also on your file, it reaches some of the same conditions conductive hearing loss does.
What DVA means by conductive hearing loss
A claim is tested against the definition first. If the diagnosis on your file does not meet this wording, the factors below never get reached — so it is worth checking that what your doctor wrote matches what the instrument requires.
Conductive hearing loss, for the purposes of the Statement of Principles, for the purposes of this Statement of Principles, conductive hearing loss: (a) means acquired hearing loss due to defective conduction of sound from the external environment to the inner ear, with a permanent shift to a hearing threshold level of 25 decibels (dB) or more in the frequency of 500, 1 000, 2 000, 3 000, 4 000 or 6 000 hertz (Hz), and an air-bone gap in the affected ear of: (i) at least 10 dB at three or more of these frequencies; or (ii) at least 15 dB at any one of these frequencies.
Aggravation-only factors. In this instrument, subsections 9(14) to 9(27) apply only to material contribution to, or aggravation of, conductive hearing loss where it was already present before or during service. If service caused conductive hearing loss outright, those factors are not available to you.
RH No. 81 of 2019 · BoP No. 82 of 2019 · 25 factors
What could support a claim for conductive hearing loss?
The Statement of Principles for conductive hearing loss names 5 other conditions among its own factors. If any of these is already accepted on your file, it may be the factor that carries a conductive hearing loss claim — quoted here from the instrument.
Otosclerosis
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (1): “having otosclerosis on the affected side at the time of the clinical onset of conductive hearing loss” [clinical onset]
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (14): “having otosclerosis on the affected side at the time of the clinical worsening of conductive hearing loss” [worsening]
Osteoporosis
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (3): “having osteoporosis at the time of the clinical onset of conductive hearing loss” [clinical onset]
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (16): “having osteoporosis at the time of the clinical worsening of conductive hearing loss” [worsening]
Otitic barotrauma
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (4): “having an episode of otitic barotrauma involving the affected ear, within the seven days before the clinical onset of conductive hearing loss” [clinical onset]
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (17): “having an episode of otitic barotrauma involving the affected ear, within the seven days before the clinical worsening of conductive hearing loss” [worsening]
Otitis externa
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (9): “having acquired, permanent narrowing or obstruction of the external auditory canal of the affected ear, at the time of the clinical onset of conductive hearing loss; (a) benign fibro-osseous lesion; (b) benign or malignant neoplasm; (c) chronic otitis externa; (d) exostosis of the external auditory canal; (e) granuloma; and (f) necrotising otitis externa” [clinical onset]
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (22): “having acquired, permanent narrowing or obstruction of the external auditory canal of the affected ear, at the time of the clinical worsening of conductive hearing loss; (a) benign fibro-osseous lesion; (b) benign or malignant neoplasm; (c) chronic otitis externa; (d) exostosis of the external auditory canal; (e) granuloma; and (f) necrotising otitis externa” [worsening]
Otitis media
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (10): “having chronic otitis media, involving the middle ear of the affected side, at the time of the clinical onset of conductive hearing loss” [clinical onset]
Reasonable Hypothesis — factor (23): “having chronic otitis media, involving the middle ear of the affected side, at the time of the clinical worsening of conductive hearing loss” [worsening]
Reviewed by Dr Thomas Perkins
Founding doctor, Veterans Health Centre · former RAAF aviation medical officer · 13 years working exclusively with ADF members and veterans. Full profile →
Conductive hearing loss accepted?
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