Mission
Our Mission
The Hearing Center of Excellence (HCE) fosters and promotes the prevention, diagnosis, mitigation, treatment, rehabilitation, and research concerning hearing loss and auditory injury. Our goal is to reduce the tangible and intangible costs of hearing loss and auditory injuries among U.S. military personnel and veterans. HCE works closely with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and leads the cooperative effort to meet its goal.
Mission
The mission of the HCE is to provide support to enhance operational performance, mission readiness, and quality of life through collaborative leadership and advocacy for hearing and balance health.
History
The Department of Defense (DOD) established the HCE to focus on the prevention, diagnosis, mitigation, treatment, and rehabilitation of hearing loss and auditory injury. HCE was legislated by Congress in the National Defense Authorization Act and directed to partner with the VA, institutions of higher education, and other mission-minded public and private organizations.
HCE’s primary responsibilities include:
- Developing a data registry to track hearing loss and auditory injuries across the Armed Forces, and sharing the registry data with the VA
- Encouraging and facilitating hearing health research
- Developing best practices and clinical education, and
- Ensuring the coordination and delivery of VA rehabilitation benefits and services to former service members