For the most severe cases of hearing loss, SSA’s Listings provide a means to being found disabled. If you are diagnosed with a vestibular dysfunction (like Meniere’s), Listing 2.07 requires a history of frequent attacks of balance disturbance, tinnitus, and progressive hearing loss demonstrated by BOTH vestibular testing and audiometry.
If you have had cochlear implants, you are automatically considered disabled for 1 year post-implantation OR longer if your word recognition score is 60% or less as established with HINT testing.
If you have NOT received a cochlear implant, Listing 2.10 requires an air conduction hearing threshold of 90 decibels or greater in the better or AND an average bone conduction hearing threshold of 60 decibels or greater in the better ear OR a word recognition scare of 40% or less in the better ear.
Finally, if you have suffered a loss of speech due to any cause, Listing 2.09 requires an inability to produce BY ANY MEANS speech that can be heard, understood, or sustained.
It is important to undergo the proper testing for each of these conditions to establish your disability under SSA’s rules. Failure to do so may prolong your claim.
