Dear CryptoDeaf, I understand you want it as clear as you can make it, got it. I'm 55 years old, male, but I've been losing my hearing for ages, a slow and gradual process. At my current age everyone sounds like they're mumbling. I'm American and don't know sign language and I haven't a clue how to read lips. I can't enjoy TV without subtitles anymore. I don't want to become deaf, but I'm afraid I'm on that path.[Extra details prodded for by CryptoDeaf] I'm still working, my insurance provider is Blue Cross and I'm a veteran with VA benefits, I work as an instrumentation specialist at a coal fire power plant. I do have a regular physician I see for checkups and no I don't have hearing aids as I have no way to afford them. I reside in Chandler, Arizona. For the love of GOD keep me anonymous, I've read your horror stories about employer discrimination as well as from others and I don't want that to bite me in the ass.
Well hello there "For the love of GOD keep me anonymous", you're currently, from your description, what's classified as Hard of Hearing. And yes for most hearing loss is gradual, unlike for some with epilepsy in which deafness can become more profound after a seizure, as is my case unfortunately. You fortunately may likely be able to get away with not needing to learn lip reading and ASL (or PSE or SEE). There's far less discrimination against the hard of hearing than the deaf as well, so you don't have to worry too hard.
Your hearing loss is the type of person where if you're in a crowded restaurant or in a car you can't catch what's being said, but if someone in a quiet environment one on one were speaking to you clearly, enunciating everything properly, you'd be more apt to comprehend them with hearing alone, it'll just sound ... distorted, best way to describe it. I'm aware of the descriptions.
You say you're unable to afford hearing aids and I'll agree, if your hearing is as you say it is (I'm not doubting you), but you have both VA benefits and you have Blue Cross, both of which will provide you with an audiologist and hearing aids, your insurance covers it. Most insurance providers refuse to cover hearing aids because they're not prescribed to you by an actual doctor but rather a therapist, so they're seen as "Cosmetic".
Anyone with hearing loss can tell these clowns that being able to hear is not a cosmetic issue, as you're fully aware. Luckily, all you have to do is schedule an appointment to see your PCP and request a referral to see a hearing specialist and your doctor has to keep your records confidential.
The audiologist will likely try to get you to get the most expensive brand that they can get you with 12 channels and all this extra hoo haa. You can likely get away with a 6 or 8 channel digital hearing aid, and it's up to you if you wish to have it bluetooth compatible so that it connects to your smartphone or bluetooth compatible radio.
Hearing aids have gotten better since back during our childhoods (I'm not far too much younger than you are). Back in the days of analog hearing aids, it had some minor filtering but overall it was mostly an amplifier, I remember the analog hearing aids having a lot of background noise I had to get used to similar to those cheap $20 "hearing amplifiers" that were gifted to me from a friend they bought at Walgreens.
Hint: Don't buy these things, they're terrible. The quality is terrible, the comfort is just not there, they fall out easy and generally speaking are a pain in the ass. I will admit that 30x amplification allowed me to hear my footsteps, the soft whir of the fridge, bathroom vent and stove vent for the first time in my entire life using an amplifier, but the discomfort and the fact that it made it even harder for me to communicate in general with people I intended to speak to, was a no go, even worse being in a car OUCH.
So you can either go through the VA for your hearing aids or you can see a private sector civilian clinic/doctor for the audiologist referral, see the audiologist, provide them with your insurance cards, and get your hearing aids.
For those on Mediare part A and B, many states have a Medicaid program as well that supplements the Medicare costs. It typically comes with vision hearing and dental which also covers the costs of hearing aids. Just an FYI for other readers who may be in a different position.
But you dear sir, you're set, you just didn't realize what your benefits already cover. So go forth, get yourself some hearing aids and enjoy your hearing renewed! It won't likely sound exactly like when you were younger, but it will be a lot crisper for you and the "everyone is always mumbling" thing will go away as you'll be able to catch their words better.
In general though, let me assure you that most people are mumbling, just the hearing are generally used to it. Something I've noticed being a lip reader, however that'll clear up for you with your hearing aids.
What I mean by most people mumbling, I went through years of speech therapy to lose my deaf accent, then worked on my own to lose the british RP sounding accent. I think about my words as I'm talking very carefully so I don't sound English when I'm American. So I notice the lip movements of even TV anchors where something like "How may I help you" would become "Hamayalpoo". The hearing generally seem to never noticed this, typically because they're also doing it. xD
Suppose it takes years of speech therapy to notice it.
