Benefit Payments for a Sensory Disability

A sensory disability is the impairment of one or more of the five senses - taste, touch, sight, sound and smell. A person with a sensory impairment may qualify disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA) if the claimant's impairment is severe enough to meet the requisite criteria. The common impairment claim is usually visual or auditory. In either case, the burden of proof is on the claimant to show that the impairment prevents him or her from engaging in "substantial gainful employment."

Recognized Sensory Disabilities

The SSA maintains a list of sensory disabilities that entitle claimants to benefits. The list includes vision, hearing, and speech impairments. However, the common disorders are usually impairment of hearing or sight.

Hearing Impairment

A person with a substantial hearing impairment or who is totally deaf may qualify for benefits if the impairment prevents substantial gainful employment. The decision maker evaluates the degree of the impairment and how the impairment affects the claimant's ability to work. If the claimant has worked and earned sufficient income, he or she may be entitled to SSD benefits. If the claimant was born deaf or has not earned sufficent work credits to qualify for SSD benefits, the claimant may be eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. The SSI benefit is subject to household income limitations.

Social Security offers a publication entitled Disability Evaluation Under Social Security which provides under the section "Special Senses and Speech - Adult:

A. Average hearing threshold sensitivity for air conduction of 90 decibels or greater, and for bone conduction to corresponding maximal levels, in the better ear, determined by the simple average of hearing threshold levels at 500, 1000, and 2000hz. (see 2.00B1); or

B. Speech discrimination scores of 40% or less in the better ear.

Visual Impairment

A legally blind claimant may also qualify for SSD or SSI benefits. A legally blind person is one whose vision cannot correct to better than 20/200 in their better eye or whose visual field is of 20 degrees or less in their better eye. Even if the claimant's vision does not meet the legal definition of blindness, he or she may qualify for disability benefits if the vision problems alone or combined with other health problems prevents them from working. To qualify for SSD benefits, the claimant must have worked long enough in a job that collected Social Security taxes. To qualify for SSI payments based on disability and blindness, the claimant is not required to have worked, but his or her income and other resources must be under specified dollar limits.

Consult a Benefits Attorney

If you suffer a visual or hearing impairment, you may qualify for either SSD or SSI benefits, depending on your specific case. Discuss your claim with an experienced benefits attorney to determine your eligibility and the benefit amount you are qualified to receive.