Improving Care for Veterans with Hearing Loss

Research News

October 20, 2026

More than 1.3 million Veterans receive disability compensation for hearing-related conditions. Hearing loss and the associated social disadvantages, such as unemployment and lower access to healthcare resources, may contribute to higher emergency department (ED) use among Veterans who are deaf or hard-of-hearing (HOH) compared to those who do not have hearing loss. Further, in the noisy, sometimes chaotic ED environment, Veterans who are deaf or HOH may face communication barriers that could compromise care.

Funded by VA's Office of Health Equity, a study conducted by HSR investigators piloted and scaled up a program that provided a personal voice amplification device to Veterans with hearing difficulties (Faiz et al., 2026). The device consists of an amplifier and a microphone that feeds the conversational partner's voice directly into the wearer's ears via wired headphones to reduce unwanted external noise. Conducted at the VA Greater Los Angeles Emergency Department, the study included Veterans who had screened positive for hearing loss via a triage nurse. Staff and patient experience with using the device was ascertained through survey questions. Twenty-nine ED staff members (23 physicians, 6 nurses) completed surveys for 79 encounters with Veterans who were HOH. Of the 64 encounters in which the device was used, 84% of staff found it very helpful in providing care. Of the 18 Veteran survey respondents, 89% reported that they thought the device improved their ED care, that they were better heard or understood, that the device was convenient to use, and that it would improve communication at home. Of these 18 Veterans, 94% also reported that they would use the device again.

Findings from this study suggest that the implementation of an assistive hearing device in the ED was feasible and well accepted by staff and Veterans. This study also highlighted the ED's potential role in identifying previously unrecognized hearing loss. However, screening for hearing loss in the emergency setting must then be accompanied by adequate infrastructure and supportive devices to assist with communication.