Workmen's compensation hearing loss claims.

This presentation deals with the evaluation of occupational hearing loss claims, the tests used over the years to determine the hearing status of the claimants, and the various methods used to convert the results of the audiometric tests in terms of percentage of hearing impairment. A significant modification of the 1961 American Medical Association formula has recently been adopted by the Board of Directors of both the American Academy of Otolaryngology and the American Council of Otolaryngology. The modified formula has been published: "Guide for the Evaluation of Hearing Handicap," JAMA, 241, (19): May 11, 1979. The reasons for this modification and its application in the evaluation of occupational hearing loss claims are discussed. Otolaryngologists are urged to become acquainted with the modified AAO formula and to apply it in the evaluation of hearing loss claims.