NHS hearing aids — still free
Veterans get NHS aids the same way as anyone else: GP → audiology. They are free. The Armed Forces Covenant means you should not be disadvantaged. If NHS is enough, we will say so.
If you served, say so when you book. We can test, look in the ears, and put findings on headed paper for a claim. We are a private clinic, not Veterans UK and not the MoD. We cannot approve a grant or a pension.
Veterans get NHS aids the same way as anyone else: GP → audiology. They are free. The Armed Forces Covenant means you should not be disadvantaged. If NHS is enough, we will say so.
Money for service-related hearing loss comes from Veterans UK, not from us. A private pair here is only paid by a grant if that scheme writes to you. Do not pay a clinic that “guarantees £4,000 funding”.
Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) — injury or illness caused by service on or after 6 April 2005. Apply via GOV.UK / Veterans UK.
War Pension Scheme — caused or made worse by service before 6 April 2005. Some awards can include treatment such as hearing aids — Veterans UK decides. Noise-induced hearing loss under 20% disablement may not attract a pension or lump sum (GOV.UK WPS rules).
Royal British Legion can help you fill forms and, if needed, with a tribunal. They do not run a live “Veterans Hearing Fund” shop grant — that LIBOR scheme closed and is not taking applications.
Access to Work — if you are employed or self-employed and need equipment to do the job. DWP, not MoD. VAT and tax page.
Charities sometimes help with private aids. Check they are registered and still open before you send medical records. We will invoice a charity if they confirm in writing.
Free hearing test. Wax if it is blocking the view. Written audiogram and a quote you can attach to a Veterans UK, RBL or Access to Work file. Mention service, role, noise exposure and tinnitus on the form so we record it. We will not write that hearing loss “was caused by service” unless that is a clinical fact we can stand behind — causation is for the scheme’s doctors.
Book a test — tell us you are a veteran
GOV.UK: War Pension Scheme; Armed Forces Compensation Scheme; Access to Work. britishlegion.org.uk for claim help. This page is not legal advice and not a promise of payment.