Hearing Impairments and Social Security Disability Benefits

Skilled Social Security Disability Attorney Serving Claimants in Illinois

Can I Get Social Security Disability Benefits If I Suffer From A Hearing Impairment?

Hearing impairments are absolutely recognized by the Social Security Administration! The Social Security Administration will first determine whether you meet a listing. If you meet a listing, the Administration will find that you are medically disabled. If you do not meet a listing, but your hearing impairment combined with other medical conditions is preventing you from working for at least 12 months, you may still qualify for Social Security disability benefits (whether SSDI or SSI).

Is There A Specific Listing For Hearing Impairments?

The Social Security Administration recognizes hearing impairments under section 2.0: Special Senses and Speech. There are four separate listings for hearing impairments: Listing of Impairments 2.07: Disturbance of labyrinthine-vestibular function, Listing of Impairments 2.09: Loss of speech, Listing of Impairments 2.10: Hearing loss not treated with cochlear implantation, and Listing of Impairments 2.11: Hearing loss treated with cochlear implantation. These can all be found on the Social Security Administration website. However, because most of the listing is structured using medical terminology, it can be quite difficult to know whether you will meet any of the listings. If you or a family member suffers from a hearing impairment and are unable to work and want to know more about whether you might qualify for Social Security disability benefits (either SSDI or SSI), contact our law firm for a free consultation at 312-999-0999.

If I Do Not Meet The Listing, Is There Another Way To Get Social Security Disability Benefits?

Yes! If you do not meet any of the listings for your hearing impairment, but it is preventing you from working, you may still qualify for Social Security disability benefits, even if your disability application has been denied.

The Social Security Administration will proceed with your case by evaluating your Residual Functional Capacity. To do this, the Administration will determine the most amount of work that you can do despite your limitations. They do this by dividing “work” into four different categories: heavy, medium, light, and sedentary. It is worth noting that there is sometimes a fifth category that is recognized for very heavy work; however, very heavy work is scarcely used. Whether a claimant wins his or her disability claim is greatly affected by which category he or she is ultimately put into. Being put into a lower category increases the likelihood that a claim is approved for Social Security disability benefits. Social Security will also consider additional limitations caused by your hearing impairment. For example, inability to appreciate work hazards, to communicate effectively with others, or to perform the job requirements in a timely manner.