1. Readiness thru Hearing Conservation
Military Audiology
Readiness thru Hearing Conservation
We recommend each audiologist create a talking paper specific to their MTF and commander’s interests. This presentation is meant to used as an outline and may be altered to meet specific needs.
POC:
Army MAJ. Gates DSN
Air Force CPT. Narrigan DSN x 201
Navy LT. Bealer DSN

2. Briefing Outline Mission and Vision DoD Audiology Goals
Benefits of Military Audiologists
Readiness thru Hearing Conservation
Additional Audiology Missions
Managed Care
Building Healthy Communities

3. DoD Audiology Mission
To Ensure Operational Readiness to the Fighting Force and Quality-of-Life to Eligible Beneficiaries by Providing Cost-Effective Hearing Health Care through State-of-the-Art Audiological Services, Including Prevention, Medical Surveillance, Education, and Research.
Developed as Tri-Service effort.
Please do not alter.

4. DoD Audiology Vision
Strategically Place Military Audiologists to Support the Fighting Force for Success on the Modern Battlefield. Recognize Military Audiologists as Primary Experts and Providers of Hearing Health Care. Promote Education and Research to Enhance Operational Readiness.
Developed as Tri-Service effort.
Please do not alter.

5. DoD Audiology Goals Promote Readiness thru Hearing Conservation
Manage Hearing Health Care for Soldiers, Airmen, and Sailors Through Audiological Evaluations for Early Identification of Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL)
Build Healthy Communities Through
Hearing Conservation, Clinical Audiology, and Community Health Education
Hearing conservation is a force multiplier by ensuring force readiness through hearing protection, hearing loss prevention and education.
Hearing Conservation Programs support line, occupational health and public health through stringent program monitoring of hazardous noise and potentially ototoxic chemicals. Early identification and prevention of noise induced hearing loss is critical in the militaries overall force readiness.
Building healthy communities through base and local education efforts support quality intervention and prevention programs. Education of hazardous noise environments and equipment is the first step in ensuring hearing protection compliance. Hazardous noise affects military members and their families on and off duty.

6. Benefits of A Military Audiologist
Knowledge of Military Missions
Ability to Interact with Line Officers
Superior Understanding of Specific Military Noise
Ability to Gain Trust and Confidence of Junior Enlisted
Support to Guard and Reserve Mirror Force Missions
Military audiologists are professional military officers who are knowledgeable of our militaries mission.
Completion of professional military education and knowledge of the military’s role allows active duty audiologists to interact with command line officers with equal respect of brothers-in-arms. Trust, respect and confidence of the enlisted force is gained by instant acceptance of the uniformed officer.
The unique mission of the military creates unique noise environments. Noise sources used on a daily basis in the military are “unheard” of in the civilian community. Military audiologists have superior training and understanding of these noise hazards.
Military audiologists serve as hearing conservation referral centers supporting the Guard and Reserve HCPs. The Guard and Reserves have the same requirements as active duty to hearing conservation. Referrals include patient follow-up for shift management, OSHA reportable shifts, fitness for duty, noise collection criteria, adequate hearing protection needs, and Staff Assistance Visits for overall program evaluation.

7. Benefits of A Military Audiologist
CAOHC Certified Course Director
Flexible Work Hours
Tri-Service Deployment of DOHRS-HC
Stringent Regulatory Compliance
OSHA; DoDI; and Service Specific Instructions
Military audiologists are uniquely qualified as hearing conservation professionals. Of the top three academic audiology programs in the nation only one offers training in hearing conservation.
There are 380 nationally certified (CAOHC) course directors. Over 25% of the course directors are active duty military.
Tri-Service deployment of DOHRS-HC program will enable base level HCP managers access to local trend reports. This will allow early identification of noise induced hearing loss trends and targeted education efforts.
Active duty military audiologists are specifically trained in HCP management and regulatory compliance.

8. DoD Hearing Conservation Program
Medical Readiness
Force Multiplier
Program Management
Prevention
Education
Surveillance
Largest HCP Data Warehouse
Readiness is achieved through education, training, and prevention.
(The only treatment for noise induced hearing loss is prevention)
Hearing profiles (H-1, H-2,H-3 and H-4) categorize hearing loss. They define referral and waiver criteria to assess communication ability. Hearing profiles are also used as guidance for enlistment and commissioning eligibility.
HCP management includes, affecting the lines commitment, raising employee involvement, work-site analysis of noise exposure data, hazard prevention and control, safety and health training. This in combination with annual audiometric surveillance and hearing protection compliance noise induced hearing loss is totally preventable.

9. Readiness
Army research has shown that detection distance of combat sounds decreases as hearing loss increases. For example
A normal hearing soldier can hear footsteps in leaves at 100 meters whereas a soldier with >H-2 hearing can detect only at 1 meter.
A normal hearing soldier can hear a rifle bolt closing over meters whereas a soldier with >H-2 hearing cannot detect that sound until 46 meters.
Talk about specific research

10. Additional Audiology Care for Military Service Members
Diagnostic Audiology Services
Follow-up Evaluations for STS
Site of Lesion Testing
Identification of Malingerers
Monitoring and Documenting Hearing Profiles
Fitness for Duty Evaluations
Diagnostic services include air / bone puretone assessment, middle ear impedance and acoustic reflex evaluation, electrophysiological testing of the eight cranial nerve, distortion/ transient products, aural rehabilitation and amplification. Diagnostic evaluation are used for site-of-lesion testing to rule-out acoustic tumors.
Audiologic evaluations are also used for identification of malingerers.
The safety and health of our military force cannot be separated from our readiness mission. In order to ensure safety in the workplace fitness for duty evaluations are accomplished and reasonable accommodations are made on a case by case basis. This process allows military audiologists to assess communication needs and ability.

11. Audiology Care for Military Family Members
Clinical Audiology Services to Family Members and Retired Personnel
Retiree Hearing Aid Purchase Program
Universal Newborn Hearing Screenings
Support ENT, OH, Flight Medicine, and Other Clinics
Work/Equipment Sharing with Veterans Administration
Military audiologists provide complete clinical services to military family and retired members.
Programs like the Retiree at Cost Hearing Aid Purchase Program (RaCHAP) were developed and implemented by military audiologists. This program allows retired military members to purchase hearing aids at a federally contracted price. (total cost is about 25% of the civilian cost)
Saving to MTF is $____________
Clinical audiology settings support MTF through referrals. Referrals are common from ENT, Pediatrics, Primary Care, Internal Medicine, Flight Medicine, and Occupational Health.
Cost per visit is $____________
Work and equipment sharing agreements are common between military and Veterans Administration audiology services. These programs ensure better access to care and eliminates duplication of costly equipment and services.
Cost saving through VA work sharing agreement is $____________

12. Audiology Care In Building Healthy Communities
Hearing Loss Prevention Programs
Operation BANG (Be Aware of Noise Generation)
Hearing Loss Screening Programs
Infant; School Age; Health Fair
Occupational Hearing Conservation Programs for the Civilian Workforce
Comprehensive Program Management
Military audiologists are active with many education and prevention programs both on base and in the local community. Operation BANG targets hazardous noise education for elementary school children.
New born hearing assessments are a requirement of the Joint Committee for Infant Hearing Screening.

13. Military Audiologists Summary
Are Uniquely “Suited”
Increase Fighting Force Readiness
Provide Comprehensive HCP Management
Provide Full Spectrum Audiology Support
Active duty military audiologists are uniquely “suited” to provide complete hearing health care from cradle to grave. Ensure force readiness through hearing conservation while providing a full range of diagnostic tests and and treatments. Military audiologists provide direct support to the line mission through hearing loss profiles, waivers and fitness for duty assessments.
Every military audiologist is a clinician, HCP manager, professional military officer, and hearing loss prevention educator for the base and local community.
Civilian academic audiology programs don’t teach hearing conservation. Hearing conservationists are trained after entering the profession. Over 25% of the nations certified experts in hearing conservation are currently on active duty.
Military audiologists are pillars of medical service strategy through support of core competency, managed care, total care system, and quality intervention and prevention.

14. DoD HC Program Elements
Noise Hazard Identification and Engineering Controls
Hearing Protectors
Monitoring Audiometry
Health Education
Enforcement
Program Evaluation
These are the key elements for a successful hearing conservation program.
Together they build the foundation for hearing conservation. Like the pillars of medical service strategy each is important in supporting mission and vision of military audiology.

15. Annual Cost Analysis Military Audiologist = $ Cost Savings
Mission Uniformed Civilian Contract
Audiologist Audiologist Audiologist
To Manage
The HCP
Diagnostic &
Special Tests
Military Audiologist = $ Cost Savings

16. Other Ideas
Prevalence Study
24% Reduced H-3 Profiles