How to Get Disability Benefits for Hearing or Vision Disability

It is estimated that over 28 billion Americans suffer from some type of hearing impairment, and over 10 million Americans are blind or vision-impaired.  Persons with sensory disabilities such as hearing and vision impairment may be entitled to disability benefits through the Social Security Administration (SSA), either through the Social Security Disability (SSD) or Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI) programs. 

Getting Disability Benefits for Sensory Disability

The most common types of sensory disabilities are:

• Hearing impairment / Deafness
• Visual impairment / Blindness

If you are hearing impaired, or totally deaf, you may qualify for SSD or SSI benefits.  The degree of your hearing impairment, and its impact on your ability to work, will determine your eligibility for disability benefits.  If you have a sufficient earnings record, you may be entitled to SSD benefits; however, if you were born deaf or have not earned enough credits to qualify for SSD benefits, you still may be eligible for SSI benefits, subject to certain household income limitations.  Furthermore, total deafness may be a basis for the SSA awarding you expedited SSI benefits, as opposed to the usual three to five month processing period that accompanies SSD and/or SSI claims. 

If you are legally blind, you also may qualify for SSD or SSI benefits.  Legally blind is defined as an inability to correct your vision to better than 20/200 in your eye, or a visual field of 20 degrees or less in your eye.  However, even if you are not legally blind, you may be entitled to disability benefits if your visual impairment, either alone or combined with other medical conditions, makes you unable to work.  Additionally, there are special rules that apply to persons who are legally blind, such as the fact that credits that you earn from working after you become blind may apply to your earnings record so as to increase the amount of your monthly disability benefit.  Furthermore, you can apply for a “disability freeze” for your disability benefits, which disregards some of your earnings in years that they decrease due to your blindness; the “disability freeze” rule can help you increase your disability benefits in the future.  Expedited disability benefits may also be available if you are blind, which can reduce the normal processing time for your claim for disability benefits.

Filing a Disability Claim

In order to file any type of disability claim through the SSA, you must fill out an application for benefits at your local SSA office, or online through the website of the SSA.  You typically must provide detailed information about the medical condition(s) that render you disabled and unable to work, and sign medical release forms that permit the SSA to contact your doctors and other medical providers for information about your medical condition(s).  Unless you qualify for an expedited claim, you can expect to wait about three to five months for your application for disability benefits to be processed by the SSA.  The SSA may also arrange for you to undergo medical testing and/or evaluation by a specialist or other medical professional in order to better evaluate your medical condition(s) and/or claim for disability. 

Legal Help

If you have been denied disability benefits based upon a sensory disability, you should contact an attorney specializing in disability law to assist you in appealing the denial of benefits.  There are several layers of appeals for the denial of disability benefits; an experienced attorney can properly assess your case and help you through the appeals process.