If you are disabled and unable to work due to hearing loss, you may qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. While hearing loss does not automatically qualify you for disability benefits, you may qualify if you can meet one of the listings or otherwise show you are unable to work due to the hearing loss.
Social Security Listings
Social Security uses two different listings to evaluate hearing loss, listing 2.10 and listing 2.11.
Listing 2.10 covers hearing loss not treated with a cochlear implant. Under this listing, to qualify for disability, you must have a recent hearing test that shows both: (1) an average air conduction hearing threshold of 90 decibels or greater in the better ear and (2) an average bone conduction hearing threshold of 60 decibels or greater in the better ear. Alternatively, you can meet listing 2.10 if you have a recent hearing test that shows a word recognition score of 40% or less in the better ear. The word recognition score must be determined using a standardized list of phonetically balanced monosyllabic words. Social Security prescribes the way those hearing tests must be conducted here and here.
Listing 2.11, on the other hand, covers hearing loss after a cochlear implant. Social Security initially considers individuals to be disabled for one year after the initial implantation. After that initial year, you must have a recent Hearing in Noise Test (HINT) showing a word recognition score of 60% or less.
I Don’t Meet the Listing!
If you do not meet the listing, you may still qualify for SSDI or SSI benefits. To prove that you are disabled and unable to work, you will need medical evidence that shows the severity of your impairment. Social Security will need reliable medical evidence from your doctors to show them that your condition limits you and prevents you from working.
Unfortunately, because of the high bar set to meet this listing, one of the most common reasons for a denial is because there was not enough medical evidence. It is important that you keep a log of all doctors, hospitals, and clinics, you have seen for your hearing loss. Social Security needs to see both an otologic exam and audiometric testing to establish your impairment and limitations – the audiometric testing should be done within two months of the otologic examination.
If you have hearing loss (treated with a cochlear implant or not) and are unable to work due to your condition, contact a local attorney today if you have questions or wish to apply for disability.