What Type Of Disability Is Hearing Impairment
Different organizations classify disability differently. For example, the World Health Organization breaks down the definition of disability into three categories:
- Impairment: This involves the physical structure of the body.
- Activity Limitation: Any typical activity that is limited. Difficulty hearing falls under this category.
- Participation Restriction: This is the idea that either you or society curtails your involvement in certain activities or behaviors.
Hearing impairment tends to fall rather squarely into all three of those criteria.
Other organizations break it down by the level of your hearing loss. The exact classification of disability that would attach to your hearing impairment will be determined by your precise diagnosis. Generally speaking, hearing impairment is broken down into four categories: mild, moderate, severe, and profound .
Applying Specific Medical Tests To Your Case
There are several medical tests that may be required by the SSA before your SSDI case for hearing loss can be approved. They may ask for audiometry results, HINT or HINT-C word recognition measures, bone and/or air conduction results and calcoric or other vestibular testing.
Even with your medical records and test results, the SSA may order a medical evaluation at their expense to determine the severity of your condition. They can also order a mental evaluation to determine if the situation has made you depressed, stressed or emotionally distressed and if that also impacts your ability to work.
Submit as much medical evidence as you possibly can with your disability application. The more evidence that you provide, the higher the chance of being approved for benefits. After you have been approved for benefits, you can focus on your recovery.
Get Help With Your Application
The staff at any VAC office, CAF Transition Centre or Service Canada office can assist you or call us at 1-866-522-2122. Service Officers with The Royal Canadian Legion or The War Amps of Canada can also assist you with your application, including helping you get all of the information you need to support your application. Their assistance is free of charge.
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Can I Receive Va Disability For Hearing Loss Or Tinnitus
More than 28 million Americans are affected by hearing loss more than half of those over age 75.
Hearing problems, including the ringing or buzzing sensation known as tinnitus, are the most common service-connected disability among veterans.
If you are a veteran, you may be able to receive VA disability benefits for hearing loss or tinnitus. The team at The Law Offices of Michael Hartup explains what the VA can do for you and your service-associated hearing conditions below.
If you need further assistance applying for disability benefits, our attorneys at Michael Hartup are ready to help. Call our Jackson, Tennessee office at or fill out a contact form online.
Sensorineural Hearing Loss Is Usually Caused By Extensive Exposure To Loud Noise Or Aging While Conductive Hearing Loss Is Often Caused By Some Type Of Blockage Such As Wax In The Ear
An individual may also have a combination of sensorineural and conductive hearing loss or mixed hearing loss. Symptoms of hearing loss include:
- Muffling of speech and other sounds
- Difficulty understanding words, especially when background noise is present
- Trouble hearing consonants
- Needing to turn up the volume of a radio or television
- Asking others to speak more slowly or repeat words
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Social Security Disability And Hearing Loss
Having a medical condition that prevents you from doing your job, meeting financial obligations and caring for your family is a stressful situation to say the least. If your hearing loss is affecting your ability to work, you may be eligible for assistance through the Social Security trust fund.
If you can’t work due to hearing loss, youmay be eligible for Social Securitybenefits.
Hearing loss will not automatically qualify you for disability benefits, but if it meets certain criteria and you are no longer able to work, applying for assistance through the Social Security Administration to help pay for medical bills, housing, credit card bills, food and other daily living expenses can help provide some added peace of mind.
The Blue Book Listings For Hearing Loss
Social Security has two different Blue Book listings for hearing loss. The first, Listing 2.10, applies to those who haven’t received a cochlear implant. An individual can meet this listing if either of the following are satisfied:
- Your average air conduction hearing threshold is more than 89 decibels in the better ear, and average bone conduction hearing threshold is more than 60 decibels in the better ear, or
- Your score on a speech discrimination test is 40% or worse in the better ear.
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Disability Listing For Hearing Loss
The SSA’s impairment listing 2.10 states the requirements for automatically being granted disability benefits for hearing loss. To qualify for disability benefits for hearing loss , you must meet either one of the two following tests.
Audiometry. Your average hearing threshold sensitivity for air conduction must be 90 decibels or worse in your better ear, and you must have a bone conduction hearing threshold of 60 decibels or worse in your better ear. Your hearing loss needs to be calculated by averaging your hearing at the sound frequencies of 500 hertz , 1,000 Hz, and 2,000 Hz.
Word recognition test. You must not be able to repeat more than 40% of a list of standardized words spoken in a word recognition test .
Pure tone, bone conduction, and word recognition tests must be completed by an otolaryngologist , a licensed physician, or an audiologist working under the supervision of an ENT or physician. All testing is done without your hearing aids in. The SSA can also send you to an audiologist for auditory evoked response testing to determine if your hearing is truly as bad as your pure tone audiometry tests indicate.
Causes Of Hearing Loss
The ear consists of three major areas .
When sound waves pass through the outer ear it causes vibrations which are amplified as they travel through the inner ear.
The nerve cells in your ears contain thousands of tiny hairs that help translate sound vibrations into electrical signals.
Then, these electrical signals are transmitted to your brain where it processes the signals into sound.
Hearing loss generally occurs when the ears are exposed to loud machinery or explosions over a long duration of time.
Additionally, the inevitable factor of age slowly erodes away at our hearing like other senses in the body.
Hearing loss can begin for a number of reasons yet is often attributed to damage in one or more parts of the ear.
Moreover, it can be the result of an ear infection, abnormal bone growths, ruptured eardrum, or tumors.
In the best-case scenario, removing excess earwax can sometimes remedy the problem if the damage isnt permanent.
Unfortunately, most service members are unable to avoid long-term exposure to loud noises because of the occupation.
With that said, you can take precautions by using hearing protection.
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Mnires Disease And Tinnitus As Disability Conditions
The most common types of disabling hearing impairments include Ménières disease and tinnitus. Ménières disease is a disorder in which the inner ear causes abnormal sensory perceptions. You may be experiencing this type of hearing loss if you have such symptoms as:
- Vertigo, or a sensation of a spinning
- Hearing loss usually in one ear
- Fullness or pressure in the same ear
- Ringing in the same ear, called tinnitus
You can read our section on Ménières disease to learn more about this disabling condition.
Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the head when no outside sound is present. It is typically referred to as ringing in the ears. Tinnitus can be a symptom of a condition that causes hearing impairment, or it can exist without any hearing loss. We have helped numerous clients that have been disabled as a result of tinnitus. Most tinnitus claimants also complain of headaches as well.
Other Considerations For Hearing Loss Eligibility
There are a few more things to keep in mind before applying. If you meet the above qualifying criteria but still earn more than $1,190 per month, you will not qualify for disability benefits. For example, if your employer is able to modify your job to accommodate your hearing loss, or if youve always worked at a job that didnt require good hearing, you wont be approved to receive benefits.
You also will not be approved if you only have hearing loss in one ear, even if the other ear is completely deaf since all hearing loss is evaluated using your best ear by the SSA.
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Hearing Loss Without Cochlear Implants
For those who have not had surgical implants to correct hearing loss, the determination of whether they are disabled will depend on the results of medical examinations and hearing tests. An otologic examination must be performed by a licensed physician, and it will look at a persons medical history and the ways hearing loss has affected their life. A doctor will examine the persons external ears, the eardrum, and the middle ear to look for abnormalities or issues that may affect the persons hearing.
Audiometric testing must be performed by a licensed audiologist or otolaryngologist. A persons hearing will be evaluated without the use of hearing aids. These tests will include pure tone or air conduction testing that measures how well the inner and outer ear can register sounds through the air and bone conduction testing to determine how well a person can register sounds transmitted through vibrations of the bones in the skull. Speech reception threshold testing will be used to determine whether a person can recognize at least 50 percent of the words on a standard list at certain decibel levels, and word recognition testing will determine the maximum amplification level needed for a person to identify spoken words.
Can I Qualify For Social Security Disability Or Ssi Due To My Hearing Loss
Disability rules regarding hearing loss are complex
Am I likely to get my disability claim approved based on my hearing loss?
How does SSA determine if my hearing loss qualifies for Social Security Disability or SSI benefits?
Step 1: Non-Medical CriteriaStep 2: Severe ImpairmentStep 3: Medical ListingsStep 4: Past WorkStep 5: Other Work
Wondering If You Qualify?
Find out if you qualify for Social Security Disability benefits in just seconds with our free evaluation.
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To Be Eligible For Disability Benefits Without Cochlear Implants An Applicant Must Satisfy The Requirements Of Either An Audiometry Test Or A Word Recognition Test
The result of the audiometry test must show that the applicants average hearing threshold sensitivity for air conduction must be 90 decibels or worse in the applicants better ear and a bone conduction hearing threshold of 60 decibels or worse in the better ear. Hearing loss must be calculated by averaging the applicants hearing at the sound frequencies of 500 hertz , 1,000 Hz and 2,000 Hz. A word recognition test evaluates speech discrimination. An applicant must be unable to repeat 40% of a list of standardized words that are spoken. Tests are conducted by a physician, an otolaryngologist , or an audiologist and are performed without the use of hearing aids.
When You May Automatically Qualify For Ssdi Benefits For Loss Of Hearing
The Social Security Administration has an impairment listing which states when you can be automatically considered disabled and eligible for SSDI benefits for hearing loss if you do not have cochlear implants. A cochlear implant is a medically inserted device that can provide a person with a sense of sound. You may qualify based on the results of one of these two tests:
- Audiometry. In your better ear, your average hearing threshold sensitivity for air conduction must be 90 decibels or less. In addition, you must have a bone conduction hearing threshold of 60 decibels or less in your good ear.
- Word recognition test. If you can repeat 40 percent or less of a list of standardized words, you can automatically qualify for benefits.
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Can You Get Disability For Hearing Loss
From listening to your favourite bands, to hearing unpleasant sounds, a persons ability to hear is important in making sense of the world around us. Hearing enables us to interpret and reciprocate spoken language an essential form of communication in relaying ideas, emotions, and connections.
So its no surprise that when a person suffers from hearing loss, their daily life is significantly impacted. Communicating in working environments and maintaining personal relationships are just two hurdles a person with poor hearing may have to overcome.
Hearing disorders are common physical disabilities, the most prominent being deafness. A hearing disability can be the result from birth, disease, or injury. Age can also be a factor as ear functions naturally weaken over time.
Treatment for hearing loss predominantly comes in the form of hearing aids or ear implants. Sign language is another option for people with deafness to express themselves.
The Telephone Or Video Relay Call
You need to make a claim for PIP by telephone, textphone, Relay UK or video relay if you use sign language.
If you live in England, Scotland or Wales, call the Department for Work and Pensions see the GOV.UK website for contact details.
If you live in Northern Ireland, call the PIP Centre see the nidirect website for contact details.
Someone else can make the call for you. But you must be with them so you can confirm that the person supporting you has your permission to make the call.
Before the call, make sure you have your:
- contact details and date of birth
- National Insurance number this is on letters about tax, pensions and benefits
- bank or building society account number and sort code
- doctors or health workers name, address and phone number
- details of any time you have spent abroad or in a care home or hospital.
You will need to give this information during your call.
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It Can Be Very Difficult To Get Social Security Disability Benefits Based Solely On Hearing Loss Even If It Is Profound
By Aaron Hotfelder, J.D., University of Missouri School of Law
Profound hearing loss can greatly limit or even eliminate a person’s ability to work. If your hearing loss is so severe that it prevents you from performing a full-time job, you may qualify for Social Security disability benefits.
In deciding a disability case, the Social Security Administration requires objective medical evidence to establish the existence and severity of any medical impairment. Those with hearing loss should provide the SSA with records of hearing testing administered by an audiologist or an otolaryngologist, sometimes called an ear, nose, and throat doctor. If you can’t afford audiometric testing prior to your disability hearing, you or your attorney should request that Social Security arrange a free consultative examination with an audiologist or ENT.
Hearing Loss Va Ratings Schedule For 2020
Hearing loss is a significant problem for veterans of the military.
According to the VA, more than 2.7 million veterans currently receiving disability for hearing loss or tinnitus.
However, most medical experts argue the number is even higher as not every veteran is aware of their hearing problems or have sought compensation for the disability.
Regardless of the specific number of veterans receiving disability benefits for hearing loss, the problem is prevalent in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Additionally, those that served after September 11 are 4x more likely to have hearing loss compared to civilian counterparts.
The bottom line is hearing loss is a bigger dilemma for veterans compared to most individuals that have worked in the civilian world.
Hearing loss can significantly alter your life, negatively impacting your quality of life and daily functioning.
For this reason, the VA currently offers disability benefits to veterans with hearing loss.
The VA rates hearing loss through federal code 38 CFR 4.85 Evaluation of Hearing Impairment.
The VA ratings are designed to examine each patient on a case by case basis for hearing impairment.
A rating is assigned to the patient based on age and the degree of hearing damage.
The higher percentage the patient receives, the higher likelihood of receiving approval for a disability claim and therefore more compensation.
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Get A Current Diagnosis
If you dont have a current diagnosis, GET YOUR BUTT TO THE DOCTOR! The VA is very strict about the type of diagnosis it accepts when considering hearing loss for disability compensation. They require that you undergo a hearing exam administered by a licensed audiologist. The exam is to include two tests for the VA to accept the diagnosis.
The first test is the Maryland CNC Test. This measures hearing loss by using a 50-word test scoring how well you recognize speech.
The second test is the Puretone Audiometric Test. This test measures the faintest tones you can pick up through listening. Most people will recognize it as the test where you wear headphones and raise your hand when you hear beeps.
Remember, a diagnosis from your primary care doctor will not be counted as evidence by the VA.
How Do I Get Long Term Disability For Hearing Loss
Though many people can win insurance benefits for hearing loss by filing a claim, you will first have to meet various qualifications and complete certain tests. For example, once you file, you will have to be examined by an otolaryngologist or another licensed physician. Here, that physician will determine whether you are suffering from permanent hearing loss or only temporary hearing loss. From here, your physician will conduct an audiometric test to gauge the severity of your hearing loss. Oftentimes, policies will claim that your hearing loss is not as severe as you say it isthis is unacceptable, and if you believe you are being wrongly denied the benefits you deserved, you must reach out to an experienced long term disability attorney today.
Our firm will work to obtain and present various types of documents and evidence needed to prove that you require long term disability insurance benefits. Once you have proven your need for disability, you will receive either monthly insurance payments or one lump-sum payment.
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