I will ditto tailback on this one. My ears ring all the time. It’s from military service. It’s fine with background noise, but loud as he’ll going to sleep. I can cope by using a “squirrel cage” fan which is very loud. I have not filed for disability but my hearing is deteriorating at middle 40’s.
I won’t try to file until I need hearing aids.
Is the incident in which you lost partial hearing fully documented? If not, try proving it 20-30 years hence.
Here's a suggestion. Free. Take one of those no-cost hearing tests. They may be able to tell you what range of hearing loss you suffer from and give you some idea of what to do.
Hearing aids may run $5K-for a good one.
I do not deny that it exists. But in this day and age, so much hearing degradation occurs from the music and never ending environmental noise before even entering the service. And it is NOT difficult to cheat the system on this one. Just sit there and do not respond. How hard is that! I have tinitus, and it was exacerbated to some extent during my stint in the army. We did not have noise protection gear when firing tanks or any arms. And of course, I did not claim it either. Yes, if a blast goes off closeby, get the disability. But waaaay too many and waaay too easy to claim.