I was diagnosed at 30 percent loss on exit. I think I can get the hearing aids paid for.
Rethink that. If you get hearing aids, you have to listen to people. For important stuff, like morse code, you can get a cool DSP audio filter that can notch everything out but what you want to hear, and shift the frequency to something you can hear.
Mostly deaf isn't bad when you have family like mine. I'd never get hearing aids.
/johnny
Any Honorably Discharged Vet can go to their V.A. Auditory Clinic. Payment depends on income unless it is proved service related. If you have your medical records like where the Medical Officer placed you on Hearing Conservation that will suffice as service related. My Division Officer did me that favor puting a copy in my records I took home.
You'll have to see the V.A. Doctor for a referal and getting to the Hearing Clinic in some places takes a year or more. But they are tops once you get there. Good quality hearing aids and they'll ship you battteries every six months. I'd start the application process now to get into the clinic. If you want to file a disability claim that can be done later or not at all it doesn't matter.
I'm at close to 60% loss. Some of it caused by disorders I was born with. Some loss caused on the ship and some later in the Army NG at two week training when a full battery fire mission went off {155's} about 75 ft away. I was in the back of the truck asleep and didn't hear the warning. Ammo section tried to sleep while fire missons took place. While gun crews slept we worked.