It's the same with pilots. Most ex-military pilots are going to have some hearing loss, it's the nature of being around jet engines for years. I also know some who have ejection seat injuries they're drawing VA disability for. Is a 30% hearing loss going to prevent them from flying an airliner? No, that would be silly, that's what a volume knob is for. Should the fact that they have a compressed disc from an ejection prevent them from flying an airliner? No, there aren't ejection seats in airliners. They're eligible for VA compensation for the damage incurred in the military though.
As with most things in the media this article is full of BS and half truths. Far more than the 30% mentioned of airline pilots are ex-military, they listed "commercial" and many have commercial tickets that aren't flying for the airlines. Ex-military airline pilots are almost always older, stuff doesn't work like it did due to inevitable wear and tear when you've been in the military and they've had you on the deck of an aircraft carrier or in a war zone. It doesn't mean you aren't fit to fly an airliner, but they might not do great as a sound mixer for a recording studio with tinnitus. Also ask yourself whether you really want to go harassing half the airline pilots in the U.S. out of a job over BS when there's a pilot shortage. If you think air travel is bad now, pull the medical certificates of half the military trained pilots and see how it goes.
Yeah. It is VA injury. Not VA disability. People hear disabled and think the guy can’t walk. He’s 10% tinnitus disabled. It takes time from his life walking around looking for the sound, but . . . he can walk around. He’s not disabled. He’s injured.
You can compensate for that or tell him “this is part of the sacrifice you will make the rest of your life because you raised your right hand when you were young and swore to go into battle if ordered to do so.” No reasonable society would refuse compensation.
This is a very interesting thread minus a very important bit of information.
The words compensation have been used in more than one comment.
I freely admit I don’t know the percentage of disability that might have a compensation number attached to it, or if that number is 100% and your retirement package would then come under the VA disability program.
The reason I bring it up is my 30 percent rating has no compensation attached to it. I am an Air Force O-4 retiree. I receive no dollar amount as compensation. If I understand correctly the VA recognizes a portion of my retirement compensation from their system as tax free. My overall retired pay remains the calculated amount anyone of my retired rank would receive except that a portion subject to my disability rating would be tax free.
I believe the total is approximately 400 dollars a month which would amount to 4800 a year tax free. I don’t have a tax book handy but that benefit would be somewhere between 15 and 20 percent of 4800. That benefit is one reason I still choose to work and pay taxes. So all that tax burden is not on the shoulders of the producers while I am still able at eighty three.