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Can I Receive Disability for Hearing Loss?

Disability benefits are available for people with hearing loss. They are available for people who can still work but are limited by their hearing loss as well as for people who cannot work due to their hearing loss. If you are working you can qualify for benefits under Social Security Disability Insurance benefits (SSDI). If you are unable to work, you will need to seek benefits from Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Disability Benefits for Adults with hearing Loss

You can find the medical listing for hearing loss at SSA’s website here. Basically, in order to qualify for benefits without the use of cochlear implants the applicant must meet of these two requirements:

1. Air and bone conduction audiometry. The average threshold for air conduction must be 60 decibels or worse. And your bone conduction hearing threshold in that same ear has to be 60 decibels.
2. Word recognition. The applicant must not be able to repeat back more than 40% using a phonetically balanced list of words.

If you have had cochlear implants you are automatically able to receive benefits for one full year after the surgery. After one year, the SSA will determine if you qualify for further disability based on a series of tests.

The following statistics are from the National Institute on Deafness and other Communicative Disorders

• At least 15% of adults in the United States have at least some trouble hearing (37 million people)
• Age is the strongest predictor of hearing loss. The greatest hearing loss occurs in individuals between the ages of 60-69 years old.
• Men are twice as likely to suffer hearing loss as women.
• White (Caucasian) people are more likely to suffer hearing loss than any other group.
• Roughly 10 percent of the U.S. adult population, or about 25 million Americans, has experienced tinnitus lasting at least five minutes in the past year.

If you are perusing legal help with obtaining disability for hearing loss and live in Brevard County Florida, please feel free to contact us. We would be happy to look at your case free of charge.