As ordered reported by the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on August 1, 2013
H.R. 1443 would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to treat tinnitus as a condition for research and treatment at VA Auditory Centers of Excellence. Tinnitus, the medical term for the sensation of hearing sound when no external sound is present, is the most common disability among veterans and may be caused by exposure to loud sounds during military service. The VA already provides tinnitus treatment at all its audiology clinics.
Furthermore, VA’s National Center for Rehabilitation Auditory Research (NCRAR) at the Portland VA Medical Center conducts research and provides educational resources for tinnitus. NCRAR has several research projects currently underway on tinnitus (for example, the Clinical Trial of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Relief of Tinnitus, Telephone Tinnitus Education for Patients with TBI, and Multi-Site Evaluation of Progressive Tinnitus Management). Additionally, the VA Research Enhancement Award Program at Mountain Home Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Tennessee is conducting tinnitus-related research projects.
