Veteran's at Risk: Vets' hearing loss claims increasing sharply

Like many infantrymen while on patrol, Goldich had elected not to wear personal ear protection, fearing it would dull "situational awareness," his ability to hear distant gunfire, recognize the direction from which it came and perhaps even identify the type of weapon being fired.

"It isn't that I wasn't taught I should wear ear protection. We were all given ear protection when we deployed. We were made aware that this is what we should be doing," Goldich said. "But the reality of the situation, in the summer of 2006 in Anbar Province, was no one gave a damn about hearing protection There were other concerns at the forefront besides what I and many others viewed as minor irritants."

Given how close he was to the explosion, Goldich doubts earplugs would have protected his hearing.

Some audiologists agree. But one fact that most hearing experts have come to recognize in recent years is that not enough has been done to protect military members from extreme noise, whether from weapons of war or harmful decibel levels that are routine in military occupations from engine rooms to flight line to firing ranges.

Department of Veterans Affairs disability payments for impaired auditory systems jumped 15 percent last year, the biggest increase of any service-connected ailment. And 54 percent of vet who became eligible for the first time for compensation linked to auditory conditions were younger than age 55.

With the rise of auditory injuries among service members,

Congress directed the Department of Defense to establish a Hearing Center of Excellence (HCE) and create a registry that tracks hearing injuries and treatments,

and eases transition of the hearing injured to the Department of Veterans Affairs for claim processing and effective follow-up care.

Lt. Col. Mark Packer, an Air Force neurotologist at Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, is interim director of the HCE.

He explains it's a "virtual" center rather than brick and mortar.

Another purpose, he said, "is to guide best practices and develop the tools, educational platforms and outreach for patients and clinicians to provide better [treatment] outcomes."

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