Military Claims

Military Hearing Loss Claims

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If you’d like to learn more about military hearing loss claims, our solicitors are here to help. With extensive experience in winning compensation for NIHL military cases, you’ll be in capable hands.

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What is noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL)?

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) can be caused by one-time or repeated exposure to noise levels over 85 decibels, such as explosions and the discharge of weapons during military service. NIHL can end military careers and have long-lasting effects in later life, too.

Can I make a military hearing loss claim?

Yes, you can make a military hearing loss claim, with the amount being determined on a case-by-case basis. Between 2012 and 2020, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) paid £72m in compensation for military hearing loss, settling more than 9,000 cases. This is because it has a duty of care to protect your hearing.

If your military career was impacted by hearing loss and you believe negligence was involved, please contact our team of experts for a no-obligation chat. We’re highly experienced at helping armed forces personnel win compensation for military hearing loss claims.

You’ll need a medical diagnosis for hearing loss before one of our solicitors can represent you.

Types of claims

You’ll be supported by highly experienced military claims solicitors with considerable experience of winning compensation for NIHL and tinnitus across all services, including the Army, Navy, RAF and Special Forces.

Examples of the types of claims include:

A delay in referring and/or diagnosing NIHL, resulting in further damage to hearing
Incorrect medical grading of personnel with NIHL
NIHL caused by the negligent discharge of weapons and explosions
Exposure to excessive noise or short bursts of high-frequency and high-intensity sounds during training or exercise without adequate instruction
Inadequate, unsuitable – or a complete lack of – hearing protection (PPE, or personal protective equipment)

We understand the intricacies of the military medical grading system and will use this knowledge to find out if you were treated negligently. Examples would be if you were wrongly deployed or if a deployment made your hearing worse. In either case, you should be entitled to compensation for hearing loss claims involving the military.

Your case for compensation will be built by consulting medical experts about symptoms and exposure. We’ll refer the case to independent ear, nose and throat specialists familiar with hearing loss issues caused during service in the armed forces.

Our team can interpret audiograms and will instruct a specialist doctor to assess your hearing loss. If you’ve suffered hearing damage as a result of negligent protection, please get in touch.

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Client Journeys

£750,000 awarded to soldier suffering from permanent hearing loss while on training

Our client, a young soldier, was serving in the British Army and was participating in a training exercise when a ‘six’ bang device was thrown without warning.

He became disorientated and on his return to the unit, a hearing test confirmed that he had sustained permanent left-sided hearing damage. He was medically downgraded, which meant he was unable to get promoted or be deployed on operations. He felt he could not have the career he initially intended as a soldier and resigned.

After several years of litigation, the MoD settled the case out of court for £750,000.

Meet your Military Claims Solicitors

Why Bolt Burdon Kemp?

Ahmed Al-Nahhas

Head of Military Claims

Gaggan Mawi

Partner – Part of the Military Claims Team

Hannah Swarbrick

Partner – Part of the Military Claims Team

Jennifer Ellis

Senior Solicitor – Part of the Military Claims Team

FAQs

What are the signs of NIHL?
NIHL can be caused by an excessive one-time exposure or by short bursts of high-frequency and high-intensity sounds, known as acoustic shocks. Any exposure to noise levels over 85 decibels can be hazardous.

For obvious reasons, this is a particular problem in the military. The longer a person is exposed to a high level of noise, the more likely they are to suffer permanent damage. It’s possible that service personnel will not recognise deterioration in their hearing until after they have returned from exercise or deployment. At that point, symptoms such as the following may become apparent:
- Struggling to hear conversations
- Asking people to repeat themselves
- Turning up the volume on your TV
- Sounds becoming distorted or muffled
- Buzzing in one or both ears that’s more noticeable at night
What should I do if I think I have NIHL?

If you suspect that you’re suffering from NIHL or tinnitus because of work-related exposure, seek urgent medical advice from your Medical Officer (MO).

Your MO ought to carry out routine hearing tests. If NIHL is suspected, a referral to an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist should be made. The ENT specialist will determine the cause of your hearing loss and can rule out natural causes, such as age-related deterioration.

A referral to an ENT specialist is also necessary to determine whether you are fit to deploy, and to consider whether a restriction should be put on future deployment.

If these actions weren’t taken in your case, you may have a claim for negligence.
What are the time limits for military hearing loss claims?

Please be aware that time limits apply when seeking compensation for negligence, whether you are pursuing compensation through the court, or via the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.

It is vitally important that you begin any action for compensation as soon as you become aware of any hearing problems. Please contact us now for expert advice on taking your claim forward.
Can I make a claim for tinnitus?

Yes, we can also support those looking to claim compensation for tinnitus, where the duty of care by the MoD has been breached.

According to the NHS, tinnitus is when you hear noises that don’t come from an outside source. You can hear anything from ringing to whooshing and throbbing noises – and it can have a big impact on your quality of life depending on how severe the damage is.

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