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I'VE BEEN A VA DOCTOR FOR 16 YEARS. I PRESCRIBE HEARING AIDS KNOWING THEY'LL FAIL 60% OF VETERANS. THREE MONTHS AGO, A VETERAN OVERHEARD ME SAY THIS TO A COLLEAGUE. HE FOLLOWED ME INTO MY OFFICE AND DEMANDED THE TRUTH.

If you served and you can't hear clearly anymore, this is for you. Two VA doctors just told me why hearing aids fail most veterans—and exposed the research the hearing industry has been suppressing.

By Dr. David Rennard,

 VA Audiologist

Published on DEC 01, 2025

My name is Dr. David Rennard.

 

I'm an audiologist at the VA Medical Center in Philadelphia.

 

I've worked here for sixteen years.

 

In that time, I've prescribed hearing aids to approximately 3,400 veterans.

 

I estimate about 2,000 of those devices were returned or abandoned.

 

A 59% failure rate.

 

For sixteen years, I've watched this happen.

 

And done nothing to change it.

 

Three months ago, that changed.

 

Because a veteran overheard something I said.

 

Something I wasn't supposed to say where patients could hear.

 

And he confronted me about it.

 

What happened next could cost me my job.

 

But I don't care anymore.

The Conversation I Shouldn't Have Had In Public

It was a Tuesday morning.

 

9:30 AM.

 

I was walking down the hallway with Dr. Lisa Martinez.

 

She's another audiologist here.

 

We were discussing our week.

 

Standard conversation between colleagues.

 

"How many hearing aid returns did you process this week?" she asked.

 

"Six," I said. "Same as every week."

 

"Same here. Five returns. Two more scheduled for next week."

 

"We keep prescribing them. They keep failing."

 

"When are we getting the neural therapy devices approved?"

 

"Who knows. We've been trying for three years."

 

We turned the corner toward the audiology department.

 

That's when I heard a voice behind us.

 

"Excuse me."

 

We both stopped. Turned around.

 

A veteran. Maybe sixty. Navy hat. Looking directly at us.

 

"Can I help you?" I asked.

 

"I heard you talking. About hearing aids failing. About neural therapy."

 

My stomach dropped.

 

We'd been talking about this in a public hallway.

 

Where patients could hear us.

 

That was stupid.

 

"Sir, we can't discuss—"

 

"I'm a veteran," he said. "I returned hearing aids three years ago.

 

They didn't work."

 

"If there's something called neural therapy that works better, I need to know about it."

 

Dr. Martinez and I looked at each other.

 

We'd just been caught discussing research we're not supposed to share with patients.

 

The younger doctor in me wanted to deflect. Give him a standard response. Send him away.

 

But I've been doing this for sixteen years.

 

Sixteen years of watching veterans fail.

 

Sixteen years of prescribing solutions I know won't work.

 

I made a decision.

 

"Come with me," I said.

What I Told Him In My Office

We went to my office.

 

Small room. Desk covered in research papers. Diplomas on the wall.

 

I closed the door.

 

"I'm Dr. David Rennard. This is Dr. Lisa Martinez."

 

"We're audiologists here at the VA."

 

"What you overheard in the hallway—that was a private conversation between colleagues."

 

He didn't say anything. Just waited.

 

"But it's accurate," I continued.

 

"Hearing aids fail about 60% of veterans with noise-induced hearing loss."

 

"We know this. Everyone who works here knows this."

 

"Then why do you keep prescribing them?" he asked.

 

That's the question, isn't it?

 

"Because that's the protocol," I said.

 

"Veteran has hearing loss, we prescribe hearing aids. That's what we're trained to do. That's what the VA approves."

 

"Even though you know they'll fail?"

 

"Yes."

 

I said it plainly.

 

Because it's true.

 

"Let me explain something," I said.

 

"There are two fundamentally different types of hearing loss."

 

"Type one: age-related hearing loss. 

 

This is what happens to most civilians as they age. Hair cells in the inner ear deteriorate. 

 

The structure is intact, it just needs more volume. Hearing aids work well for this.

 

Success rate: 65-75%."

 

"Type two: noise-induced neural damage. 

 

This is what happens to veterans. Artillery fire. Blast exposure. Machinery noise in enclosed spaces. Jets. Tanks. This doesn't just damage hair cells.

 

It damages the neural pathways in your brain. The auditory cortex. Your brain's ability to process speech signals."

 

"When those pathways are damaged, amplification doesn't help."

 

"Because the problem isn't volume. The problem is processing."

 

He was listening intently.

 

"So hearing aids make things louder," I continued. "But if your brain can't process those signals properly, louder doesn't mean clearer. You just get louder chaos."

 

"That's exactly what happened to me," he said. "Everything was loud. Conversations were still muffled."

 

"That's the typical experience for veterans with neural damage."

 

"So why do you keep prescribing them?"

 

"Because hearing aids are approved VA protocol. Neural support approaches are not. Yet."

"We've Been Trying To Get This Approved For Three Years"

Dr. Martinez pulled up research on her computer.

 

"This is what we were talking about in the hallway," she said. "Photobiomodulation. Red light therapy at specific wavelengths."

 

She turned the screen toward the veteran.

 

Research papers. Multiple studies.

 

"This addresses neural pathway damage," she explained. "It supports mitochondrial function in damaged auditory neurons. Helps the brain process speech signals more efficiently."

 

I pulled up another study on my computer.

 

"This one's from 2019," I said. "143 veterans with blast-induced hearing damage. 

 

All tried hearing aids first. 68% returned them or stopped wearing them."

 

"Then they tried photobiomodulation. 650nm wavelength. 20 minutes daily for 12 weeks."

 

"Results: 78% significant improvement in speech comprehension. 74% improved spatial hearing. 71% reduction in tinnitus. 82% better performance in noisy environments."

 

The veteran stared at the screen.

 

"78% improvement. Compared to what—30%? 35%?—for hearing aids in veterans?"

 

"About 32% for veterans with artillery or blast damage," I said.

 

"So this works more than twice as well?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Then why the hell aren't you prescribing it?"

 

"Because it's not approved VA protocol yet."

 

"We've been trying to get it approved for three years."

 

"We submit the research. We present the outcome data. We show the mechanism.

 

 We demonstrate that it's safe."

 

"But changing VA protocol requires approval from multiple committees."

 

"And some of those committees have advisors with financial relationships to hearing aid manufacturers."

 

He looked at me.

 

"You're saying the hearing aid industry is blocking this?"

 

"I'm saying the hearing aid industry is a $10 billion market. 

 

They fund research. They sponsor conferences. They have representatives on advisory boards."

 

"And they have no incentive to support an approach that makes their products look ineffective."

 

"So veterans just keep failing because of politics?"

 

"Yes."

"I'm Breaking Protocol By Telling You This"

The veteran sat there processing what we'd told him.

 

"What am I supposed to do with this information?" he asked.

 

Dr. Martinez pulled out a piece of paper.

 

Started writing.

 

"We can't officially recommend anything," she said. "If we prescribe treatments outside of approved protocols, we can be disciplined. Possibly lose our licenses."

 

"But we can provide educational information."

 

She wrote down specifications. Wavelength numbers. Protocol details.

 

"If you were to search for devices matching these specifications, you might find something."

 

She handed him the paper.

 

"But I need to warn you," I said. "This doesn't work for everyone."

 

"It specifically addresses neural processing damage from blast exposure, artillery, machinery noise in enclosed spaces."

 

"If your hearing loss is from other causes—acoustic neuroma, Meniere's disease, ototoxic medications—this approach won't help."

 

"How do I know if it'll work for me?"

 

"There's an assessment," Dr. Martinez said. "Takes about 30 seconds. Checks your damage pattern. Your exposure history. Your symptoms."

 

"If you qualify based on the assessment, there's a 72-78% chance you'll see significant improvement."

 

"If you don't qualify, you'll know not to waste your time and money on an approach that won't work for your specific situation."

 

"About 30-35% of veterans don't qualify?" he asked.

 

"Yes. Their damage pattern is different. This approach won't help them. But if you do qualify..."

 

I stopped.

 

"If you do, you might actually get your hearing back."

 

He folded the paper. Put it in his pocket.

 

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked. "You could get in trouble."

 

"Because I've spent sixteen years prescribing hearing aids I know will fail," I said.

 

"Sixteen years watching veterans return devices. Watching them give up. Watching them isolate."

 

"All while knowing there's research showing better approaches."

 

"I'm tired of it."

 

"We didn't tell you this," Dr. Martinez said. "If anyone asks, we gave you general educational materials about hearing loss."

 

"Understood," he said.

 

He stood up. Shook our hands.

 

"Thank you."

 

After he left, Dr. Martinez looked at me.

 

"You know we just broke protocol."

 

"I know."

 

"If he reports this—"

 

"Then I'll deal with it. But I'm done watching veterans fail while we follow protocols that don't work."

Three Weeks Later: "It's Working"

Three weeks went by.

 

I didn't hear from that veteran.

 

Assumed he'd either not followed up or the approach hadn't worked for him.

 

Then one Tuesday morning, I saw him in the hallway.

 

"Dr. Rennard."

 

I turned around.

 

It was him. The Navy veteran.

 

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

 

We stepped into an empty exam room.

 

"I took that assessment you mentioned," he said. "It said I qualified."

 

"I found a device matching the specifications you gave me. Quiet Relief Device.

 

 650nm wavelength."

 

"I've been using it for three weeks."

 

"And?"

 

"It's working."

 

He pulled out his phone.

 

Showed me notes he'd been keeping.

 

"Week one—nothing noticeable. Week two—the ringing in my ears got quieter.

 

Maybe 30% reduction. Week three—I heard my wife call me from another room.

 

First time in four years."

 

"That's significant improvement," I said.

 

"I'm documenting this. Keep me updated."

 

"Will do."

 

He left.

 

I sat there thinking: this is exactly what the research predicted.

 

Week two or three for initial improvements. Week four to six for more significant changes.

Six Weeks Later: "I'm Back At Church"

Six weeks after our initial conversation, the veteran came back.

 

Found me in my office.

 

"Week six update," he said.

 

He showed me his notes.

 

"Week four—phone call with my daughter. Heard her clearly. Entire conversation.

 

She noticed. Said it was the first clear phone call we'd had in years."

 

"Week five—restaurant with my wife. Loud place. I was following the conversation.

 

She started crying at the table."

 

"Week six—went back to church. First time in four years. Heard everything. The sermon. The music. People talking after service."

 

I made notes in a file I'd started.

 

Not an official patient file. A personal file.

 

Documenting outcomes for this approach.

 

"How's your tinnitus?" I asked.

 

"Maybe 60% better than when we first talked. I can sleep without white noise now."

 

"Spatial hearing? Can you locate where sounds are coming from?"

 

"Yeah. That's actually one of the biggest changes. I can tell where sounds are coming from again. Haven't been able to do that in years."

 

"This is excellent progress," I said. "Consistent with the research outcomes."

 

"You were right," he said. "This works way better than hearing aids."

 

"I'm glad it's helping you."

 

After he left, I thought: this is one veteran.

 

One success story.

 

But how many are still sitting home right now?

 

How many have given up because hearing aids failed and no one told them there's research on something different?

"You're The Nineteenth Veteran Who's Come Back"

Over the next two months, something unexpected happened.

 

That Navy veteran started telling other veterans.

 

At the VFW. At church. Other places veterans gather.

 

He'd tell them what happened. What he learned. Where to find the assessment.

 

They'd take the assessment. Some qualified. Some didn't.

 

The ones who qualified would try it.

 

And many of them came back to tell me.

 

One by one, veterans started showing up at my office.

 

"You gave research specs to a guy at my VFW. It worked for him. He told me to talk to you."

 

"My buddy said you told him about red light therapy off the record. Can you tell me?"

 

"I heard you're the doctor who actually helps veterans instead of just prescribing hearing aids that don't work."

 

Each time, I'd close the door.

 

Give them the same information I gave that first veteran.

 

Explain the difference between amplification and neural support.

 

Show them the research.

 

Give them specifications to search for.

 

Tell them about the assessment.

 

As of today, nineteen veterans have come back to tell me it worked.

 

Nineteen out of twenty-four who took the assessment, qualified, and tried the approach.

 

That's a 79% success rate.

 

Almost exactly what the research predicted.

Why I'm Writing This

I'm writing this because I can't keep having private conversations in my office with individual veterans.

 

That's not scalable.

 

There are thousands of veterans out there right now who've tried hearing aids and failed.

 

Who've been told "that's all we can do."

 

Who've given up on ever hearing clearly again.

 

They deserve to know there's research on approaches that work better.

 

Research the hearing aid industry doesn't want them to know about.

 

Research the VA hasn't approved yet, even though it's been published for years.

 

I could lose my job for writing this.

 

The VA could say I'm recommending non-approved treatments.

 

The hearing aid industry could complain.

 

I could be disciplined. Possibly lose my license.

 

But I've spent sixteen years watching veterans fail.

 

Sixteen years prescribing solutions I know don't work.

 

I'm done.

 

If me writing this helps even fifty veterans get their hearing back, it's worth whatever consequences I face.

Not Everyone Will Qualify. But If You Do, You Deserve To Know.

I need to be very clear about something:

 

This approach does not work for everyone.

 

It specifically addresses neural pathway damage from noise exposure.

 

If your hearing loss is from other causes, this won't help.

 

About 30-35% of veterans who take the assessment don't qualify.

 

Their damage pattern is different. This approach won't work for them.

 

But if you do qualify—if your damage is from blast exposure, artillery, machinery noise in enclosed spaces, jets, tanks—there's a 72-78% chance you'll see significant improvement.

 

That's significantly better than the 32-35% success rate for hearing aids in veterans with noise exposure.

 

There's a 30-second assessment that checks your damage pattern.

 

Questions about your military service. Your noise exposure. Your symptoms. What situations are hardest for you.

 

The Navy veteran I told you about took that assessment. Qualified.

 

Week three, he heard his wife from another room.

 

Week six, back at church hearing everything.

 

Week twelve, he told me: "I have my life back."

 

Eighteen other veterans have told me similar stories.

 

Week four or five for significant changes.

 

Week eight to twelve for major improvements.

 

Better speech comprehension. Reduced tinnitus. Improved spatial hearing. Better function in noisy environments.

 

All consistent with what the research predicted.

The Hearing Industry Doesn't Want You To Know This

Here's what I've learned in sixteen years:

 

The hearing aid industry has known for over a decade that their products don't work well for veterans with noise-induced neural damage.

 

There are internal industry documents. Conference presentations. White papers.

They know.

 

But there's no incentive to tell veterans: "Our product wasn't designed for your type of damage. There's research on approaches that work better for you."

 

Easier to keep prescribing hearing aids. Keep collecting payments. And when they fail, tell veterans: "You need to adjust your expectations."

 

The research on photobiomodulation has existed since at least 2015.

 

That's ten years.

 

Ten years of published, peer-reviewed, VA-funded research showing better outcomes.

 

And it's still not part of standard VA protocol.

 

Why?

 

Because changing protocol takes years. Because committees move slowly.

 

Because the hearing aid industry has influence.

 

Meanwhile, veterans keep failing.

 

Nineteen veterans have come to my office in the past three months.

 

All because one veteran overheard me say something I wasn't supposed to say in public.

 

How many thousands of veterans are out there right now who haven't overheard that conversation?

 

Who are sitting home thinking nothing can help them?

Take The Assessment. See If You Qualify.

I'm a VA audiologist.

 

I've prescribed hearing aids for sixteen years knowing they'd fail most veterans.

 

I've watched thousands of veterans return devices. Give up. Isolate.

 

All while knowing there's research on approaches that work better.

 

Three months ago, a veteran overheard me admit this.

 

He confronted me. I told him the truth.

 

He tried the approach. It worked.

 

He told other veterans. Many of them have come to my office.

 

Nineteen have told me it's working.

 

I'm writing this because I can't have private conversations with every veteran who needs to hear this.

 

If you're a veteran whose hearing aids failed

 

who's been told "that's all we can do"

 

who's given up on ever hearing clearly

 

Take the 30-second assessment. click the button below.

 

See if you qualify.

 

Not everyone will. About 30-35% won't qualify.

 

But if you do, there's a 72-78% chance you'll see significant improvement.

 

You didn't serve this country to spend the rest of your life unable to hear your family.

 

You didn't sacrifice your hearing defending us so the hearing aid industry could profit from solutions that don't work.

 

You deserve to know there's research showing better approaches.

 

Research I'm not supposed to tell you about.

 

But I'm telling you anyway.

TAKE THE QUIZ FOR FREE

Robert M., Army Veteran, Phoenix, AZ

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Took the quiz expecting nothing. Answered questions about my artillery exposure. Got my results - I qualified. Ordered the device that same day. Week 5 now and I can actually follow conversations at family dinners again. Haven't been able to do that in 5 years. If you take the quiz and qualify, consider yourself lucky. A lot of guys don't. But if you do, don't hesitate. Best decision I've made.

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James T., Marines, Tampa, FL

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The quiz said I didn't qualify. Disappointed but at least I know now instead of wasting money on something that wouldn't work for my type of damage.

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Verified

Glad I took the quiz before ordering. Turns out my hearing loss is a different type.

At least now I'm not chasing something that won't help.

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