Welcome to Military Hearing Impairment

Did you serve in the UK armed forces for some period after May 1987 and now suffer from impaired hearing and/or tinnitus?

If so, you are likely to have a claim against the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for personal injury compensation (legal damages). Values for this type of claim can exceed £50,000; often £100,000 or more.

Military Hearing Impairment (MHImp) is a service provided by RGL Management for military veterans and personnel experiencing symptoms of hearing impairment such as deafness, hearing loss and tinnitus.

RGL Management is authorised and regulated as a claims management company by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 833132). We have many years’ experience of legal claims against large organisations.

To represent claimants bringing MNIHL claims against the MoD, RGL Management has teamed up with BC Legal, a firm of solicitors with over 25 years’ experience in hearing impairment claims.  A funder will pay all the expenses of bringing the legal claim at nil cost to you unless and until your claim succeeds.

On success, the solicitor (BC Legal) will recover its fees from the MoD – you do not pay them. The funder will deduct 25% (including any applicable VAT) only from the compensation you recover for certain aspects of your hearing damage (you will receive 100% of certain other aspects of your compensation).

Should your claim not succeed, you will pay nothing.

MNIHL is a recognised medical, personal injury condition. Many veterans (also those currently serving) were exposed to excessive noise, particularly during basic training and later training exercises, which, although not noticeable at the time, damaged their hearing.

MNIHL can arise from repeated, prolonged exposure to excessive noise over many years, such as naval engine rooms or armoured vehicles. It can also be caused suddenly by exposure to short bursts of very high noise levels, such as gunfire and explosives.

Since May 1987, the MOD has owed a common law duty of care to its employees, including service personnel, to protect them against foreseeable risks of exposure to excessive noise. And it has also owed statutory duties to control noise and protect against the harmful effects of noise, since 1 January 1990, firstly under the Noise at Work Regulations 1990 and since 6 April 2006 under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005.

As from May 1987, the MoD is liable for any breach or breaches of that legal duty that caused injury/losses to armed services personnel.

Hearing impairment from exposure to loud noise may not be a significant issue for you at present, but it can lead to significant hearing and speech communication problems in the future. It may also cut short a career and/or make finding suitable post-service employment (more) difficult.

You can claim legal compensation (damages) for both the hearing impairment caused during your military service and any resulting loss of earnings or pension contributions, both past and future. The significant cost of hearing aids can also be included within the claim.

Loss values for these types of claim can exceed £50,000; sometimes £100,000 or more.

To bring a MNIHL legal claim, the nature and extent of your hearing impairment must be identified and assessed professionally by a specialist.

On signing up to RGL Management’s MNIHL claim service, a hearing test will be scheduled at nil cost to you, at a time and place that is convenient to you. It will be carried out in accordance with British Society of Audiology recommended guidelines for audiometry.

This hearing test is the first step in bringing a claim against the MoD and will be combined with a professional assessment of your present and likely future condition. The test is a premium service provided at no charge to you. (An alternative test conducted under less than strict and rigorous conditions could result in a rejected claim!)

For further information, please see our FAQs page or use the form on the Contact Us page.