Hearing Loss Claims arising from your Employment

It's a sad fact that, despite technological advances in hearing protection in the workplace, workers continue to be exposed to excessive noise while working without being provided with adequate hearing protection.

Hearing loss claims under the WorkCover system proceed on the basis that the claim is made against the last employer where the worker was exposed to excessive noise, even if the noise levels were higher at an earlier employer.

Claims generally have two aspects. The first is a claim for the provision of hearing aids. The worker will see an audiologist and if hearing aids are required, the worker will lodge a claim with the employer's WorkCover insurer for the cost of hearing aids. Hearing aids are generally replaced every 5 years with the replacement cost being paid by the WorkCover insurer.

The second part of the claim is an impairment benefit claim. To receive a lump sum of compensation, the worker must have sustained a 10% whole person impairment. Hearing loss assessments are conducted under the National Acoustics Laboratory guidelines. The amount of compensation available will depend on the last year worked in a noisy workplace.

The first 10% of hearing loss under the NAL guidelines is deemed by WorkSafe to be 10% whole person. This gets the worker over the 10% whole person threshold and entitles the worker to an impairment benefit. Each NAL percentage point above 10% converts to 0.278% whole person. This means that while10% whole person impairment is achieved by getting 10% NAL, to get to 11% whole person, the worker needs close to 14% NAL. Above 10% whole person impairment, every whole person percentage point requires almost 4% NAL.

Only hearing loss that was sustained while working in Victoria, or working for a Victorian employer is compensated and other deductions can apply for workers with noisy hobbies or past-times such as shooting.

The impairment benefit amount for a 10% whole person hearing impairment sustained in the 2023/24 Financial Year is $27,810. The amount increases if the impairment is more than 10% whole person and is indexed annually.