Veterans are typically introduced to the Audiology clinic through one of the auditory diagnostic clinics. Consultations for hearing evaluations are primarily received from primary care providers in the Primary Care clinics. Requests for evaluation are also received from ENT, Psychology, Post Traumatic Stress Program (PTSP), Neurology, etc. Once a request has been received, the veteran is scheduled for a Hearing Evaluation (HE).
HE evaluations are scheduled for one-hour time slots. There are 5 test booths for evaluations, each equipped with state of the art equipment. During this evaluation otoscopy, case history, pure-tone air- and bone-conduction thresholds, speech recognition ability, and middle ear function (tympanometry and acoustic reflexes) are evaluated. Other tests, such as Otoacoustic Emissions, Stengers, and the audiometric Weber are completed when necessary. The results from this battery of tests allow the clinician to recommend the appropriate course of treatment for the veteran. Follow-up testing may be recommended from the Electrophysiology Clinic, Vestibular and Balance Clinic, Hearing Aid Evaluation Clinic and/or Audiologic Rehabilitation. If the veteran has a mixed or conductive loss, then a consult will be sent to the ENT clinic for medical evaluation. For veterans who are not eligible for further services through the VA Medical Center, referrals are made to professionals in the community.