Military Hearing Loss Claims

Like any job, when working in the armed forces, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has a duty to protect you from injury. Military personnel should be supplied with and instructed on how to use proper protective equipment and training on the risks involved in order to avoid injury. If you have suffered hearing loss during your military service due to the MOD's negligence, you may be able to claim compensation.

The expert military injury solicitors at JMW can help you to claim compensation for hearing loss suffered due to excessive noise and the lack of protection against it while serving in the armed forces. With our no win, no fee claims services, you can be confident that you are at minimal financial risk when choosing to pursue compensation.

For more information about how JMW Solicitors can help you, call us today on 0345 450 9547 or fill out an online enquiry form to arrange a time for us to call you back.

HOW JMW CAN HELP

Our military injury solicitors can help you to secure a financial payout to cover any suffering or expenses you have incurred due to your noise-induced hearing loss.

When you contact us, we will hold a no-obligation consultation to understand your situation. During this chat, we will discuss the circumstances that caused your hearing loss, how it has impacted your life, and what evidence you may be able to provide to prove negligence. We will then explain how we may be able to help you and what the next steps will entail.

If you decide to make a hearing loss compensation claim with us, we will begin to identify sources to support your evidence and gather it with you. This evidence may be in the form of medical reports or witness statements. We can help by facilitating experts to assess your health and create reports, and we will communicate with the necessary parties to gather the evidence for you. In cases where you may be required to gather evidence, we will guide you through the process so you can be confident that you have the support of legal experts at your back.

Once we have formed a strong case for why you deserve compensation, we will approach the MOD with a formal letter of claim.

We can work with those who have served in:

• The British Army
• The Royal Air Force
• The Royal Marines
• The Royal Navy
• Special Forces
• The Reserves

If the MOD accepts the claim made against them, we will communicate with them to come to a compensation amount that will cover your needs. If they reject the claim, court proceedings may become necessary, and we will represent you, presenting your evidence as an argument for your case.

Are You Eligible to Make a Military Hearing Loss Claim?

If you were working around noisy environments, the MOD should have ensured the associated risks were reduced as much as they could. This could be due to gun and artillery fire, mortars, explosions, pyrotechnics, aircraft noise, vehicle engine noises during training exercises or while on duty. If you can prove that you have suffered severe hearing damage directly as a result of your time in service, you may have a good chance of claiming compensation.

How to Tell if You Have Suffered Hearing Loss

In some cases, it is possible to suffer instant hearing loss. This will be more noticeable as you will need to adapt quickly to the weakening of one of your senses. 

The symptoms of noise-induced hearing loss include:

• Struggling to hear words that are spoken to you
• Struggling to differentiate noises from background noise
• Needing to listen to the TV louder or with subtitles
• Failing to pick up on passing speech

If you struggle with any of the above, you should seek a diagnosis from a medical professional.

What is the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS)?

The AFCS is in place to allow armed forces personnel access to compensation due to injuries suffered. For any injuries or illness that you have suffered during your service, you may be eligible to claim a lump sum payment or a monthly Guaranteed Income Payment (GIF) - both tax-free. If you have suffered from hearing damage due to your time in the military, we will help you to claim compensation and benefit from the scheme.

Why Choose JMW?

Due to the success we have had for our clients, JMW Solicitors has received recognition from The Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners guides, ranking us as one of the top law firms in the UK. Our military injury team has contributed significantly to this. When you work with us, you can be confident that you have experienced and leading professionals in your corner, providing you with the best chance of making a successful compensation claim.

We will work closely with you to help you understand the process and what is required of you. We understand that those dealing with injury can find the claims process stressful - we will take on the legal burden, working while you focus on your health. We can also direct you to medical and mental health services while your claim is ongoing.

At JMW, all of our military injury claims are no win, no fee. This means when you make a claim with us, you will not have to worry about paying us anything unless we are successful. Even then, compensation is typically calculated with your legal costs in mind, so you will not need to worry about covering this expense. We will work to make sure the support you need will be covered by your compensation award.