Severe hearing loss is a qualifying disability under the Social Security Disability Act, but you must prove to the Social Security Administration (SSA) that you meet all eligibility requirements to receive a Social Security Disability (SSD). Yes, being deaf is considered a disability because it can affect how you participate in daily life, including going to work. The Social Security Administration (SSA) automatically grants disability benefits to victims who suffer a profound hearing loss in both ears. Section 2.11 of the Blue Book is for people who have undergone cochlear implant surgery.
Cochlear implantation is considered a disability for a full year after surgery. After the year has passed, you can still qualify for disability benefits if you have a word recognition score of 60% or lower using the Noise Hearing Test (HINT). In the ways that matter most, hearing loss is generally considered a disability. However, this can vary depending on how severe or extreme the hearing loss is.
It's important to have all of this, especially when you consider it and how it relates to Social Security regulations and the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). If you have profound hearing loss or deafness, you should be able to qualify for Social Security disability benefits. The Social Security Administration (SSA) details the importance of your hearing loss to qualify as a disability that prevents you from working and therefore makes you eligible for benefits. Social Security regularly awards disability for deafness and profound hearing loss.
And the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) considers deafness and hearing loss as disabilities, which means employers must make reasonable accommodations for employees who are deaf or have severe hearing loss. When a person receives a cochlear implant, they will be considered disabled for one year after the procedure has been performed. After that period, a person can continue to be considered disabled according to word recognition tests. A noise hearing test (HINT) will be performed to determine if the person can recognize phrases that occur at 60 decibels.
If the person scores 60 percent or less on a word recognition test, their hearing loss will be recognized as a disability. If you are interested in applying for disability benefits because of your hearing loss, your first stop should be the SSA website. If you have hearing loss and another physical disability, be sure to also include symptoms of the other physical disability. Having any type of hearing loss is something that should be treated as a disability, since it is something that can and does affect your health over time.
Whether or not your hearing loss is correctable, you may qualify for benefits, even if you choose not to have cochlear implantation surgery. The doctor will examine the person's outer ears, eardrum, and middle ear for abnormalities or problems that may affect the person's hearing. If you think you are eligible for this aid because of a hearing loss or other disability, start the process today, as it may take three to five months for SSA to respond to your request. The conclusion of the evaluation is not a medical diagnosis and further tests may be required to diagnose hearing loss.
If your word recognition on any version of the noise hearing test (HINT) is 60% or less, with the implant set to normal settings, Social Security will continue to recognize your hearing loss as a disability. After your child turns 5 or 12 months after surgery, he or she will need a word recognition score of 60 percent or less on the noise hearing test (HINT or HINT-C) to continue receiving SSI. An average air conduction hearing threshold of 70 decibels or more in the better ear, plus an average bone conduction hearing threshold of 40 decibels or more. For example, if your employer can modify your job to accommodate your hearing loss, or if you have always worked in a job that didn't require good hearing, you won't be approved for benefits.
However, when SSA considers your RFC along with your age, education, and experience, to see if there is any work you can do that doesn't require good hearing, SSA will likely find that there are many jobs you can do where hearing isn't important. In some cases, you'll want to wear hearing aids, even if you have low-level hearing loss, as they could help you in your daily life. People with hearing impairments should understand how these disabilities are addressed in the list of impairments used by Social Security. .
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