diff --git a/lib_com/ivas_prot.h b/lib_com/ivas_prot.h
index 1ef95583c37274d4d13a7001987fd5467bffd361..cdd5a6bfd0c2bb4b043902e299b98c5e18eeefc9 100755
--- a/lib_com/ivas_prot.h
+++ b/lib_com/ivas_prot.h
@@ -1155,7 +1155,11 @@ int16_t ivas_ism_dtx_enc(
     int16_t *sid_flag                                           /* o  : indication of SID frame                     */
 );
 
+#ifdef NONBE_FIX_898_ISM_BRATE_CRASH
+void ivas_ism_dtx_dec(
+#else
 ivas_error ivas_ism_dtx_dec(
+#endif
     Decoder_Struct *st_ivas,                                    /* i/o: IVAS decoder structure                      */
     int16_t *nb_bits_metadata                                   /* o  : number of metadata bits                     */
 );
diff --git a/lib_com/options.h b/lib_com/options.h
old mode 100755
new mode 100644
index 870006c6fbbb58365a65c1228056000e27ce674a..388e939538cce6edfe3f7417965f215adef2d011
--- a/lib_com/options.h
+++ b/lib_com/options.h
@@ -171,6 +171,8 @@
 #define NONBE_FIX_906_SBA_LBR_SMOOTHING                       /* FhG: issue #906: fix SBA low bit rate smoothing for HOA2/HOA3 output */
 #define NONBE_FIX_878_RS_FEC_STEREO_CNG                       /* Eri: Frame loss and Unified Stereo CNG may cause false BER detection which results in corrupt bitstream decoding */
 #define NONBE_FIX_904_JBM_SBA_RS_FOA                          /* FhG: issue #904: fix JBM SBA RS to FOA decoding */
+#define NONBE_FIX_898_ISM_BRATE_CRASH                         /* VA: issue 898: fix decoder crash in ISM bitrate switching with DTX and binaural output */
+
 /* ##################### End NON-BE switches ########################### */
 
 /* ################## End DEVELOPMENT switches ######################### */
diff --git a/lib_dec/ivas_dec.c b/lib_dec/ivas_dec.c
index a936cf5a628b83687c32fcee1cb48a847a68409c..7ed71d5d6cd8987721f5b476a512e3e7d61890f8 100644
--- a/lib_dec/ivas_dec.c
+++ b/lib_dec/ivas_dec.c
@@ -185,10 +185,14 @@ ivas_error ivas_dec(
         /* Metadata decoding and configuration */
         if ( ivas_total_brate == IVAS_SID_5k2 || ivas_total_brate == FRAME_NO_DATA )
         {
+#ifdef NONBE_FIX_898_ISM_BRATE_CRASH
+            ivas_ism_dtx_dec( st_ivas, nb_bits_metadata );
+#else
             if ( ( error = ivas_ism_dtx_dec( st_ivas, nb_bits_metadata ) ) != IVAS_ERR_OK )
             {
                 return error;
             }
+#endif
 
             /* decode dominant object first so the noise energy of the other objects can be limited */
             if ( ( error = ivas_sce_dec( st_ivas, st_ivas->hISMDTX.sce_id_dtx, &p_output[st_ivas->hISMDTX.sce_id_dtx], output_frame, nb_bits_metadata[st_ivas->hISMDTX.sce_id_dtx] ) ) != IVAS_ERR_OK )
diff --git a/lib_dec/ivas_init_dec.c b/lib_dec/ivas_init_dec.c
index d9e32229c83c7ae819e373f79a5d535519e1f7ee..ea60e71a2f25b9e8f25e057fdc538580b8d13263 100644
--- a/lib_dec/ivas_init_dec.c
+++ b/lib_dec/ivas_init_dec.c
@@ -636,8 +636,16 @@ ivas_error ivas_dec_setup(
             }
         }
 
+#ifdef NONBE_FIX_898_ISM_BRATE_CRASH
+        if ( st_ivas->ivas_format == ISM_FORMAT )
+#else
         if ( st_ivas->ini_frame == 0 && st_ivas->ivas_format == ISM_FORMAT )
+#endif
         {
+#ifdef NONBE_FIX_898_ISM_BRATE_CRASH
+            ISM_MODE last_ism_mode = st_ivas->ism_mode;
+#endif
+
             /* read the number of objects */
             st_ivas->nchan_transport = 1;
             nchan_ism = 1;
@@ -649,6 +657,13 @@ ivas_error ivas_dec_setup(
             }
             k--;
 
+#ifdef NONBE_FIX_898_ISM_BRATE_CRASH
+            if ( st_ivas->ini_frame > 0 && nchan_ism != st_ivas->nchan_ism )
+            {
+                return IVAS_ERROR( IVAS_ERR_INTERNAL_FATAL, "wrong number of objects signalled!" );
+            }
+#endif
+
             st_ivas->nchan_ism = nchan_ism;
 
             /* read ism_mode */
@@ -660,10 +675,25 @@ ivas_error ivas_dec_setup(
                 st_ivas->ism_mode = (ISM_MODE) ( idx + 1 );
             }
 
+#ifdef NONBE_FIX_898_ISM_BRATE_CRASH
+            if ( st_ivas->ini_frame == 0 )
+            {
+                last_ism_mode = st_ivas->ism_mode;
+            }
+#endif
+
 #ifdef SPLIT_REND_WITH_HEAD_ROT
+#ifdef NONBE_FIX_898_ISM_BRATE_CRASH
+            if ( ( error = ivas_ism_dec_config( st_ivas, last_ism_mode, nSamplesRendered, pcm_resolution, data ) ) != IVAS_ERR_OK )
+#else
             if ( ( error = ivas_ism_dec_config( st_ivas, st_ivas->ism_mode, nSamplesRendered, pcm_resolution, data ) ) != IVAS_ERR_OK )
+#endif
+#else
+#ifdef NONBE_FIX_898_ISM_BRATE_CRASH
+            if ( ( error = ivas_ism_dec_config( st_ivas, last_ism_mode, nSamplesRendered, data ) ) != IVAS_ERR_OK )
 #else
             if ( ( error = ivas_ism_dec_config( st_ivas, st_ivas->ism_mode, nSamplesRendered, data ) ) != IVAS_ERR_OK )
+#endif
 #endif
             {
                 return error;
diff --git a/lib_dec/ivas_ism_dtx_dec.c b/lib_dec/ivas_ism_dtx_dec.c
index 8899696bec571b852630a64aac2b090c80ccae13..446b9aa9e42801cfabb7eebc8c75b07c19bcd5b4 100644
--- a/lib_dec/ivas_ism_dtx_dec.c
+++ b/lib_dec/ivas_ism_dtx_dec.c
@@ -47,17 +47,29 @@
  * ISM DTX Metadata decoding routine
  *-------------------------------------------------------------------*/
 
+#ifdef NONBE_FIX_898_ISM_BRATE_CRASH
+void ivas_ism_dtx_dec(
+#else
 ivas_error ivas_ism_dtx_dec(
+#endif
     Decoder_Struct *st_ivas,  /* i/o: IVAS decoder structure    */
     int16_t *nb_bits_metadata /* o  : number of metadata bits   */
 )
 {
+#ifdef NONBE_FIX_898_ISM_BRATE_CRASH
+    int16_t ch, nchan_ism, nchan_ism_prev;
+#else
     int16_t ch, pos, nchan_ism, nchan_ism_prev;
+#endif
     int32_t ivas_total_brate;
     int16_t md_diff_flag[MAX_NUM_OBJECTS];
+#ifdef NONBE_FIX_898_ISM_BRATE_CRASH
+    int16_t flag_noisy_speech, sce_id_dtx;
+#else
     int16_t idx, flag_noisy_speech, sce_id_dtx;
     ISM_MODE last_ism_mode, ism_mode_bstr;
     ivas_error error;
+#endif
     Decoder_State *st;
 
     ivas_total_brate = st_ivas->hDecoderConfig->ivas_total_brate;
@@ -67,6 +79,12 @@ ivas_error ivas_ism_dtx_dec(
 
     if ( !st_ivas->bfi && ivas_total_brate == IVAS_SID_5k2 )
     {
+#ifdef NONBE_FIX_898_ISM_BRATE_CRASH
+        /* 'nchan_ism' was read in ivas_dec_setup() */
+        nchan_ism = st_ivas->nchan_ism;
+
+        /* ism_mode was read in ivas_dec_setup() as well as reconfiguration ivas_ism_dec_config() */
+#else
         /* read number of objects */
         nchan_ism = 1;
         pos = (int16_t) ( ( ivas_total_brate / FRAMES_PER_SEC ) - 1 - SID_FORMAT_NBITS );
@@ -104,6 +122,7 @@ ivas_error ivas_ism_dtx_dec(
         {
             return error;
         }
+#endif
     }
     else
     {
@@ -159,7 +178,11 @@ ivas_error ivas_ism_dtx_dec(
         }
     }
 
+#ifdef NONBE_FIX_898_ISM_BRATE_CRASH
+    return;
+#else
     return IVAS_ERR_OK;
+#endif
 }
 
 
diff --git a/lib_dec/ivas_jbm_dec.c b/lib_dec/ivas_jbm_dec.c
index 999a6e68c96df4a960fb5f4ae513c7b12449d574..f5b5d5d08a06d897f5ef513d60d53e6ed1fc1721 100644
--- a/lib_dec/ivas_jbm_dec.c
+++ b/lib_dec/ivas_jbm_dec.c
@@ -163,10 +163,14 @@ ivas_error ivas_jbm_dec_tc(
         /* Metadata decoding and configuration */
         if ( ivas_total_brate == IVAS_SID_5k2 || ivas_total_brate == FRAME_NO_DATA )
         {
+#ifdef NONBE_FIX_898_ISM_BRATE_CRASH
+            ivas_ism_dtx_dec( st_ivas, nb_bits_metadata );
+#else
             if ( ( error = ivas_ism_dtx_dec( st_ivas, nb_bits_metadata ) ) != IVAS_ERR_OK )
             {
                 return error;
             }
+#endif
 
             /* decode dominant object first so the noise energy of the other objects can be limited */
             if ( ( error = ivas_sce_dec( st_ivas, st_ivas->hISMDTX.sce_id_dtx, &p_output[st_ivas->hISMDTX.sce_id_dtx], output_frame, nb_bits_metadata[st_ivas->hISMDTX.sce_id_dtx] ) ) != IVAS_ERR_OK )