MoD admits responsibility over veterans’ hearing loss

Veterans who suffered hearing loss are in line for compensation after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) admitted responsibility.

On Monday, the MoD accepted it had a “duty of care” towards personnel amid legal claims brought by former members of the Armed Forces who suffered from hearing loss, having disputed this in earlier legal action.

The agreement applies only to those who have served in regular or reserve Armed Forces since 1987, but does not apply to civilian military staff or cadets.

While the MoD accepts that noise exposure during service caused hearing loss among former personnel, it may dispute the extent to which this happened in individual cases.

That issue, and others in contention in relation to the claims, are set to be decided at a trial involving several “test cases”, which is expected to be held between October and December 2025.

As part of the agreement, the MoD will also no longer fight claims brought by those represented by one legal firm, Hugh James, on the basis that they are being brought to court too late, or the level of noise they were exposed to.

This means that those represented by Hugh James will only need to prove they suffered hearing loss during service.

Hugh James currently represents about 5,000 ex-servicemen and women, with thousands of others represented by other law firms.

‘Entirely preventable’

Simon Ellis, a partner and the head of the specialist military department at Hugh James, said: “Many military personnel suffered hearing loss that was entirely preventable, had they been provided with the correct equipment and training.

“As a result, individuals have had their careers prematurely ended, other employment opportunities denied to them, and their personal lives irrevocably changed.

“People who put their lives on the line in the service of our country should expect that they are not put in additional unnecessary danger by their employer.”

The agreement comes after a High Court ruling in March last year, where James Barry, 35, a former Royal Marine, was awarded more than £700,000 in compensation after having to leave the service because of hearing loss.

An MoD spokesman said: “We take the health and wellbeing of our personnel seriously and always look at how we can reduce noise levels in their working environment.

“This is alongside providing training, protective equipment and regular hearing tests to detect any early signs of hearing loss so action can be taken if necessary.

“We have reached an agreement with Hugh James Solicitors on how to progress a cohort of historic noise induced hearing loss claims, which has been accepted by the court.”