Can I get SSDI benefits for a hearing impairment?

The Social Security Administration only offers benefits to those who are severely limited by their disability. Thus, it is possible to get disability benefits for hearing impairment, but your hearing needs to be particularly poor in order to qualify. In fact, you must be completely deaf in both ears to be eligible, in most cases.

Severity and Impact

In general, if you cannot get a job, perform favorite hobbies, or live a somewhat regular life due to your medical problem, and it cannot be corrected, you have a chance of getting disability benefits. Note that if you only have poor hearing in one ear, you will not qualify for benefits since the SSA assumes that your life is not severely impacted by this disability, as you can still hear with the other ear. If hearing aids fix the issue, you will not be able to get benefits.

Take the SSA's Hearing Tests

You will need to undergo testing to find out if the hearing impairment can be corrected. Thus, you can go with hearing aids in, as long as they function correctly. If you do not have hearing aids, you can go to the screening without them, but you will likely have to have a few appointments so that a hearing mold can be custom made for you. A top-of-the-line hearing aid will then be placed in the mold for the purposes of testing.

SSA Test vs. Your Medical Evidence

Though both the use of sign language and evidence that you attended a school for the deaf may help your case, an evaluation from a doctor will not. The SSA prefers to get its evidence of your hearing impairment through its own tests. Your average for the audiometry test cannot be lower than 90 decibels, and your speech discrimination score should be lower than 40% in order for you to get disability benefits. Contact your local SSA office to schedule a testing date.