NEW! The Virtual Medical Library Hearing and Balance Specialty Guide is now live!
The virtual medical library Hearing and Balance Specialty Guide provides access to high-quality, evidence-based medical, nursing, and allied health information resources for Military Health System personnel. It is broken down into subtopics (i.e., NIHL, tinnitus, BA, APD, etc.) and each subtopic has information pertaining to various resources, books and articles, reports and presentations, and working groups.
The Defense Health Agency's Hearing Center of Excellence works to improve hearing and balance health.
Our Goals
- Improve hearing health
- Enhance operational performance
- Optimize readiness
- Enhance service members and veterans quality of life
We work with the Department of Veterans Affairs to achieve our goals in partnership with:
- Federal health care organizations
- Universities
- Public and private institutions
Congressional Mandate
The HCE was created by Congress through the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 to address military hearing injuries. This work includes:
- Prevention
- Diagnosis
- Mitigation
- Treatment
- Rehabilitation
- Research
Our primary focus and responsibilities include:
- Developing a data registry to track military hearing loss and auditory injuries
- Encouraging and facilitating hearing health research
- Developing best practices and clinical education
- Promoting and implementing hearing loss prevention strategies
Our Structure
We're a section of the DHA Medical Affairs Directorate. We're led by a branch chief and deputy branch chief. We have service audiology liaisons from the Army, Navy, and Air Force. They connect HCE to the field to address operational needs and problems.
Our Services
Clinicians and Technicians Resources
HCE Research and Collaboration
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Video
March 14, 2024
DHA's Hearing Center of Excellence highlights the importance of wearing ear protection correctly and safely.
Fact Sheet
Jan. 9, 2024
.PDF |
331.11 KB
Significant updates to the Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI) 6055.12 “Hearing Conservation Program” are expected to be published in April 2023. The significant change is a new requirement for initial hearing protector fit-testing to be conducted for all DOD personnel who have documented noise exposure greater than or equal to 95 dBA 8-hour time ...
Article
Dec. 19, 2023
A group of clinicians and researchers from across the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs have come together to share their knowledge on auditory processing disorders and raise awareness.
Policy
Nov. 22, 2023
This issuance implements policy, assigns responsibilities, and provides procedures for administering a hearing conservation program to prevent hearing loss resulting from occupational and operational illness and injury; establishes the DoD Hearing Conservation Working Group; and, Issues requirements for the integration of noise control into the life ...
- Identification #: 6055.12
- Type: Instruction
Article
Nov. 8, 2023
Hearing conservation programs combat noise-induced hearing loss by stopping it from happening, said U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Robert Summers, audiologist and specialty leader. “It’s a proactive approach versus a reactive approach.”
Article
Nov. 7, 2023
Two experts from the Defense Health Agency’s Hearing Center of Excellence recently updated military health providers on these developments during a briefing during the September 2023 Clinical Community Speaker Series, provided by the DHA Continuing Education Program Office. The series offers continuing education credits and helps ensure health care ...
Article
Oct. 18, 2023
Your fit-tested hearing protection device is the last line of defense from noise-induced hearing loss.
Report
Sept. 1, 2023
.PDF |
3.14 MB
This report covers the Hearing Conservation Program for fiscal year 2014 through 2022 and includes DOD and service-level measures of effectiveness on HCP metrics.
Article
Aug. 2, 2023
DOD/VA hearing and vision injury databases help researchers advance health for service members and vets.
Article
April 17, 2023
Whether on the sport field or the battlefield, the Defense Health Agency is the global leader in research on the effects of concussion—known as mild traumatic brain injury—in the military. Its research has fueled the development of protocols to help providers assess and treat concussion from initial injury to acute and post-acute medical settings, ...
Video
June 2, 2021
Stay sight and sound ready by protecting your vision and hearing, getting routine exams, and telling your doctor when you're having problems.
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Last Updated: May 22, 2026