RAF Aircraft and Weapons technicians wearing ear protection, oversee a RAF Typhoon prior to flight, on Operation Shader (Picture: MOD)

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Deadline for military hearing loss claims extended as court hears £50bn liability warning

Veterans and serving personnel will have an extra six months to bring hearing loss claims under a High Court-approved settlement scheme, after the Ministry of Defence agreed to extend the deadline to 31 July 2026.

The extension, which still requires High Court ratification, follows a High Court trial using a small number of sample claims to help set guidance for thousands of others.

During those proceedings, the MOD's lawyer told the court the potential overall bill for military noise-induced hearing loss claims could reach £50bn, according to the solicitors leading the group action.

It is believed that at least 70,000 current and former service personnel may be eligible to claim compensation for hearing damage sustained during their military service.

Simon Ellis, a partner at Hugh James, the law firm that has been leading the military hearing loss action in the High Court on behalf of 24,000 current claimants, said: "We welcome that the MOD has agreed to extend the deadline, which will help thousands of ex-service personnel receive the compensation they deserve, quickly and without the stress of a long, drawn-out legal process.

"I'd urge any ex-service personnel who suffered hearing damage while serving their country, and have yet to make a claim, to come forward now."

Mr Ellis also urged those who have previously been rejected by the MOD's War Pension Scheme or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme to apply.

According to Hugh James, awards through the MOD schemes can be as low as £6,000, while the legal route can also include claims for loss of earnings over the years since hearing damage developed.

The firm pointed to recent settlements for its clients, including £550,000 for Stephen Hambridge, who served with the Royal Fusiliers, and £182,250 for former Royal Engineer Andrew Davies. It also cited an earlier award of more than £700,000 for James Barry, a former Royal Marine.

Why the deadline has moved

The previous cut-off for claims was 31 January 2026. Hugh James said it has been extended because the court's ruling from the 'test trials' hearing is not expected until the spring.

The deadline extension will mean the trial judge's ruling can be considered by all parties when deciding how much compensation each claimant is due.

The settlement scheme was ratified by the High Court in July 2024 and is designed to streamline payouts for eligible claimants.

What the settlement scheme does

Under the scheme, the MOD has accepted that it owed a duty of care to service personnel in relation to noise-induced hearing loss claims and has dropped time-limit arguments for claims submitted within the scheme.

The claims can still be submitted after 31 July 2026, but the route outside the scheme is likely to be more onerous and take longer.

scam ads on Meta for hearing loss compensation — Scam ads for hearing loss compensation have been running on Meta

Fake scam ads for hearing loss compensation

In November 2025, BFBS Forces News reported on scam adverts using MOD branding to imply an official compensation scheme for hearing loss.

The MOD said it was taking legal action over unauthorised use of government branding and some cases had been referred to the Advertising Standards Authority.

At the time, the MOD was facing more than 11,000 hearing-loss claims linked to the group settlement agreed in July 2024.