I first applied for Randy to be admitted to the VA Health Care system more than 10 years ago. I tried again after we moved to Florida. He was denied both times because our household income exceeded the threshold Congress set in a law passed in 2003.
It’s not a particularly big deal because, as a military retiree, he (and I) are eligible for comprehensive medical benefits. Still, there are some things that are available through the VA Health Care system that are not covered for retirees. That doesn’t make a lot of sense, but that’s the way the system works. One of those things, specific to our interest in enrolling Randy in the VA system, is hearing aids. After all the time spent on the flight line during his Air Force career, Randy’s hearing is shot. He wasn’t looking for a service connected disability. He simply wanted help in paying for hearing aids, which run in the thousands of dollars.
When Randy’s application was denied after we moved to Florida, we went to visit the VA Benefits office provided by Charlotte County. Since we’re both veterans, aging veterans, and I am always thinking 2 steps ahead, we decided to start getting our affairs in order and wanted to know what aging and death benefits we have so we could plan around them. In our meeting (in February 2025) with EZ (the name of the gregarious VA rep) we discovered that Congress passed another law in 2022 called the PACT Act that expanded VA benefits to those who were exposed to toxic substances during their time in service. Because Randy served in the late stages of the Vietnam War in the Pacific theater, he appeared to be eligible under the terms of the PACT Act. Sure enough, his application was finally approved shortly before we left on the Grand Adventure Road Trip.
Randy had his first VA appointment, with an audiologist, on Wednesday. Dr. Major tested his hearing and said that, yes, Randy’s hearing is bad, and he hasn’t been using the part of his brain that assists hearing for a long time. I already knew that, of course. The things he heard me say were often laughable. For example, I’d say “You have a dental appointment tomorrow.” He’d look at me and say, “Your dad is doing needlepoint!?” It’s been exasperating. For years. Especially since my dad moved to heaven in 2017. That old joke about women talking twice as much as men is certainly true at our house, but in my defense it’s because I have to repeat everything twice.
He also said that Randy’s situation is a major indicator for the early onset of dementia. We didn’t understand the correlation between hearing loss and dementia though. I think that scared both of us a little. Dr. Major said the damage is irreversible, but that hearing aids help slow the progression of the damage. Randy’s new hearing aids will be here in 2 weeks.
Please join me, and all those who care about Randy, in rejoicing. And God Bless the VA Healthcare System.
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