Getting Disability Benefits for Hearing Loss

Profound hearing loss can greatly limit or even eliminate a person's ability to work. When you're hard of hearing, you might not be able to take appropriate measures to avoid hazards on the job or follow oral instructions from your supervisors and coworkers.

You don't have to be completely deaf in order to get disability benefits. As long as your hearing loss is so severe that it prevents you from performing a full-time job for at least one year, you may qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Is Hearing Loss a Disability?

Under Social Security's five-step disability determination process, the agency will consider you disabled if your hearing loss meets the requirements of a listed impairment or results in functional limitations that rule out all full-time employment. You'll also need to satisfy the preliminary eligibility requirements for the type of benefit you're seeking, such as having enough work credits to be covered under SSDI or having limited income and assets for SSI.

Disability Listings for Hearing Impairments

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has a special category called the listing of impairments for medical conditions that the agency considers especially severe. Each "listing" contains a set of criteria that allows disability claimants to qualify for benefits automatically, provided they have the required evidence in their medical records.

Social Security has two different listings for hearing loss. The exact listing you may qualify for will depend on whether or not you've had a cochlear implant, a small electronic device that may restore some sense of sound to people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Hearing Loss Not Treated By Cochlear Implantation

Claimants with hearing loss who haven't received a cochlear implant will be evaluated under listing 2.10. You can meet this listing in one of two ways:

• Your audiometry (tests that measure the range and sensitivity of your hearing) results show that your average air conduction hearing threshold of 90 decibels (dBs) or greater in your better ear, as well as an average bone conduction hearing threshold of 60 dBs or greater, also in your better ear.
• You've taken a word recognition test (measuring your ability to recognize individual words) and scored 40% or worse in your better ear.

You can review your medical records to see whether you've taken the tests required to meet this listing. Pure-tone air conduction testing is the most common, and generally considered the best indicator of hearing loss. The test transmits a series of beeps through your headphones at different tones while a doctor asks you to raise your hand indicating which ear you hear the sound in. The hearing threshold is the minimum dB (unit of loudness) level required for you to hear a sound. You may have done this test at a school nurse's office as a kid.

Pure-tone bone conduction testing measures your hearing by placing a device called an oscillator behind your ear that sends gentle vibrations directly into the cochlea, a fluid-filled cavity in your inner ear. The test can help doctors determine whether your hearing loss is caused by a problem with the outer ear, such as the ear canal, or the cochlea.

Word recognition tests involve measuring your ability to discern speech by testing how well you can distinguish between simple, separate words. They're performed by having you listen to "phonetically balanced, monosyllabic words"—meaning short words containing vowels and consonants that occur at the same frequency as they do in the English language in general.

All tests are performed without the use of a hearing aid. Keep in mind that it's rare for people with even significant hearing loss to meet the testing standards of listing 2.10.

Hearing Loss Treated With Cochlear Implantation

Under listing 2.11, If you've had a cochlear implant, you'll be found automatically disabled for one year after the date of your initial implantation. Additionally, if it's been over one year since you received your cochlear implant but you have a word recognition score of 60% or less on the Hearing in Noise Test (HINT), you will meet this listing.

Disability for Hearing Loss That Rules Out All Work

Even if your hearing loss isn't severe enough to meet the requirements of a listing, the SSA can still award you benefits based on a medical-vocational allowance. These allowances occur when the limitations you have from your hearing loss keep you from performing both your past work and any other jobs in the national economy. Social Security will consider your age, education, employment history, and residual functional capacity (RFC) to see what jobs you can and can't perform.

Your RFC is a set of restrictions on what you can do at work despite your impairments. The more severe your hearing loss is, the more limitations you'll have in your RFC. For example, somebody with mild tinnitus (ringing in the ears) may have a restriction against working in a noisy factory that could present a risk of further hearing loss, but could work in a quiet office environment. However, somebody with very intense tinnitus might not be able to effectively communicate or concentrate even in an office setting.

Claimants under the age of 50 will find it difficult to get a medical-vocational allowance based solely on hearing loss because the SSA needs to see that they can't do even the simplest desk job in a quiet environment. But claimants 50 years of age and older with additional physical impairments can find it easier to get benefits using the medical-vocational grid rules. Here's an example of a successful claim for hearing loss using the grid rules.

Getting a medical-vocational allowance when hearing loss is your only limitation can be hard. You can increase your chances if you can provide evidence of multiple impairments that, when combined, result in an RFC that rules out all work.

Medical Records You'll Need to Get Disability for Hearing Loss

Social Security needs to see objective medical evidence to establish the existence and severity of any potentially disabling impairment. You should be able to provide the SSA with records of hearing testing administered by an audiologist or an otolaryngologist (sometimes called an ear, nose, and throat doctor or ENT). If you can't afford audiometric testing prior to your disability hearing, the judge may require you to attend a consultative examination on the agency's dime.

Speech recognition isn't usually part of routine audiology testing, but it can be extraordinarily helpful in a disability case. That's because it's generally much harder for somebody to distinguish between different words than it is to hear a tone at the same decibel level. An inability to accurately recognize speech can keep you from performing a wide range of jobs, particularly those that require you to interact with the general public.

How Much Money Can a Deaf or Hard of Hearing Person Get In SSDI or SSI?

Social Security doesn't pay benefits based on the type of disabling condition you have. Instead, the amount of your monthly benefit check depends mainly on which disability program you are approved for. Sometimes there's a misconception that deaf people can get more in SSDI benefits, but that's not true. (The higher limit on substantial gainful activity for blind people may be the source of the misconception.)

SSDI benefits are based on how much money you've earned and paid taxes on in the past. In 2024, the maximum amount you can receive in SSDI is $3,822 per month, although the average payment is much lower, at $1,537.

SSI benefits are available to people with limited income and assets, regardless of wage history. SSI payments in 2024 are $943 per month ($1,415 for a couple), minus any countable income you have for that month.

Your award letter will contain information about how much money you're entitled to, how that amount was calculated, and the size of any back due benefits you'll receive.

Legal Help for Deaf or Hearing Impaired Applicants

Deaf or hard of hearing people can use Social Security's TTY line at 800-325-0778 to apply for benefits. If you're filing for SSDI only, you can go online and submit your application using the agency's web portal. You can learn more about the application process in our article on filing for Social Security disability benefits.

You don't need to hire an attorney at any stage of the disability determination process, but it's generally a smart idea, especially if you've already received a denial letter. An experienced disability lawyer can help you navigate the appeals process, gather the medical evidence you need to strengthen your claim, and represent you at a disability hearing.