A hearing test performed by a qualified hearing care professional will include the necessary components evaluated by the Social Security office to determine your eligibility, so the first step is to schedule an appointment at a local hearing clinic. Section 2. To be approved under this listing, you must meet at least one of the following criteria:. Cochlear implantation is considered a disability for one full year after surgery.
The entire Blue Book is available online, so you can review your hearing loss thresholds and word recognitions scores with your hearing care provider and physician to determine if you qualify. There are a few more things to keep in mind before applying. 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.
You can even save your application to be completed at a later date if you partially complete the form. For as long as you've been working, you and your employers have been paying into the Social Security trust fund through deductions from each payroll check.
While most people think of Social Security only when it comes to retirement, another important purpose of the fund is to provide a "safety net" for those who cannot work because of disability. If you think you are eligible to receive this help due to hearing loss or any other disability, start the process today since it can take anywhere from three to five months to for the SSA to respond to your application.
If you are not sure your hearing loss would qualify you for benefits or if you simply want to treat a hearing loss that's been with you for some time, the best place to start is your local hearing clinic.
Schedule an appointment with a hearing care professional today! Rachel Gaffney is an Outreach Specialist at Disability Benefits Help, an independent organization dedicated to helping people of all ages receive the Social Security disability benefits they deserve. If you have any questions about this article or would like a little more information on how to qualify for disability benefits, she can be reached at rsg ssd-help.
Need a hearing test but not sure which clinic to choose? Call for help setting up a hearing test appointment. The first type of disability benefits, Social Security Disability Insurance SSDI is awarded when an adult ages is no longer able to work due to hearing loss. Only people who were previously employed and have been working throughout most of their lives will qualify for SSDI benefits.
While there are no work requirements with SSI benefits, there are strict financial limitations. The SSA is not as strict with household income limits evaluating children, but childhood SSI financial limitations are still difficult to meet.
If you are married or have other children, your household income limit will be higher. When you apply for disability benefits with hearing loss, the SSA will compare the severity of your condition to its own medical guide known as the Blue Book. The Blue Book will list exactly how severe your hearing loss must be to be eligible for disability benefits. The Blue Book listing for hearing loss is found in Section 2. For hearing loss not treated by cochlear implantation, you will need to have medical tests showing one of the following criteria:.
You have an average air conduction hearing threshold of 90 decibels or greater in your better ear. You also must have an average bone conduction hearing threshold of 60 decibels or greater. OR you have a word recognition score of 40 percent or less in your better ear.
After 12 months, the SSA will review your case. If you have a word recognition score of 60 percent or less determined using a specific test, you will still qualify. If your hearing has improved, you will no longer qualify for disability benefits. The childhood listing is found in Blue Book Section Children under age 5 will need to have an average air conduction hearing threshold of 50 decibels or greater in their better ear.
Between the ages of 5 and 18, your child will need to have medical records showing one of the following:. First, the SSA requires a physical examination by an otolaryngologist ENT or licensed physician to determine whether there is a temporary condition that is preventing you from hearing well, such as fluid buildup due to a virus or allergies, wax buildup, ear infection, or ruptured eardrum.
All testing is done without hearing aids in. If the SSA suspects your hearing loss isn't as great as you say for instance, you have no family history of hearing loss and no physical abnormalities , it may require you to undergo auditory evoked response testing which measures brainwave responses to tones.
The SSA's "blue book" of impairment listings states the requirements for automatically being granted disability benefits for hearing loss. There are different requirements for those with cochlear implants one or both ears and those without. To "meet" the SSA's listing for hearing loss without cochlear implants listing 2. Pure tone and bone conduction audiometry. Your average hearing threshold sensitivity for air conduction must be 90 decibels dB or worse in your better ear, and you must have a bone conduction hearing threshold of 60 decibels dB or worse in your better ear.
This represents profound hearing loss. Your hearing loss needs to be calculated by averaging your hearing at the sound frequencies of hertz Hz , 1, Hz, and 2, Hz. Word recognition test. Word recognition generally starts to deteriorate only when the pure tone average in the better ear is 45 dB or worse.
This SSA listing 2. For one year after the surgery for implantation of cochlear implants, you are automatically granted disability benefits even if your hearing greatly improves before then.
If a deaf or hard of hearing person needs an interpreter to fully interact and communicate with the Social Security Administration, it is a good idea to ask to be provided with one. Social Security will provide a free sign language interpreter in order to properly conduct Social Security business of any kind with a hearing disabled program applicant.
The use of a qualified sign language interpreter ensures that a deaf Social Security applicant will receive an adequate and accurate translation of all of communications concerning his disability claim within the application process, and the disability determination and medical evaluation processes.
It is also important that a deaf applicant be afforded the same level of confidentiality and privacy afforded to non-disabled applicants. A hearing-impaired applicant should not be forced to be embarrassed by trying to provide confidential medical or personal application information through a family member or friend because he can't hear or understand Social Security's questions concerning his application for benefits.
Qualified sign language interpreters may not disclose to others the contents of any communication or transaction in which they served as an interpreter. You are also able to bring your own interpreter, but if Social Security believes the interpreter is not qualified, the agency can suspend the conversation until a Social Security interpreter can be present.
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