Military Hearing Loss - 3M Combat Arms Earplugs
Demanding Financial Compensation for Veterans Dealing with Hearing Loss
Hearing loss in former military is a widespread problem, particularly for service members who saw combat. If you wore 3M Combat Arms Earplugs™ (CAEv2) in combat between 2002 and 2016, your hearing loss and tinnitus could have been caused by defective manufacturing. 3M CAEv2 earplugs potentially have a design that keeps them from blocking dangerous sounds, causing permanent damage to the user's hearing. There's reason to believe that 3M knew about the defect for years without telling anyone.
If you're suffering from hearing loss or tinnitus, our military hearing loss claims attorneys want to help you get compensation for your disability. While the VA may already provide you with a few hundred dollars a month in disability benefits for your ears, we may be able to get you financial compensation directly from manufacturers responsible for taking your hearing away.
Call (888) 498-3023 or contact us online to learn about your legal options. Our firm has won tens of millions for our clients, getting them justice and helping them provide for their families.
What's the Problem with the Earplugs?
The 3M CAEv2 plugs are double-sided, with a yellow end and an olive end. The olive end was supposed to behave like a normal earplug. The yellow end was designed to reduce impulse sounds, allowing wearers to hear quieter sounds (e.g. conversation, footsteps, etc.) while blocking the sound of gunfire or explosions.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that the earplug stems were short, which prevented them from being inserted properly. Without a tight seal, servicemembers were unknowingly subjected to loud, permanently-harmful sound without protection.
- Combatants in these conflicts were issued defective 3M earplugs:
- War in Afghanistan
- The Iraq War War in North-West Pakistan
- War in Somalia
- Operation Ocean Shield in the Indian Ocean
- American-Led Intervention in Libya
- American-Led Intervention in Iraq (2014 – 2017)
- American-Led Intervention in Syria (2014 to Present)
- Yemeni Civil War (2015 to Present)
- American Intervention in Libya (2015 to Present)
Compensation for Military Hearing Loss
3M didn't make a mistake or recently realize their earplugs were defective. According to a lawsuit filed by the DOJ, 3M has known about potential defects in their Combat Arms Earplugs™ since 2000. The earplugs were originally developed by a company 3M bought in 2008, bringing on staff engineers who knew about the earplugs' potential hazards.
For 10 years, 3M CAEv2 earplugs were standard-issue, and millions of service members used them in nearly a dozen known armed conflicts. Meanwhile, 3M knew that their earplugs were likely causing thousands of people to lose their hearing forever. In July 2018, 3M paid $9.1 million to the DOJ to settle their lawsuit, but they still haven't settled with the people they actually cheated.
Tinnitus VA Rating
The VA disability rating for tinnitus is 10%, regardless of whether it's in one ear or both. In other words, you don't get a 20% rating for tinnitus in both ears. However, you can file two separate claims for tinnitus and hearing loss.
Your hearing loss disability rating will depend on the results of your hearing impairment evaluation.
Typically, most people only qualify for 0-10% rating for hearing loss, but profound hearing loss (like yours may be) could earn a higher rating. VA compensation rates for hearing loss or tinnitus in your case may not be enough to make up for the loss of your senses.
Why Call Our Military Hearing Loss Attorneys?
Handler, Henning & Rosenberg LLP has been serving Central Pennsylvania since 1922. We've been fighting for working class people for nearly a century, helping them get the benefits and resources they need to provide for themselves and their loved ones. We've gone toe-to-toe with some of the largest companies in the world, taking them to task for the harm they caused our neighbors. In total, we've won tens of millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements on their behalf. If you served in the military between 2002 and 2016 and you're suffering from hearing loss and tinnitus, you deserve answers. You deserve to know if you were harmed by defective earplugs. Call us today for a free consultation. An attorney can discuss your legal options while explaining what we can do to help you.
Speak with us by calling (888) 498-3023 or using our short online form today.
