If You Have Hearing Loss, Can You Qualify for Social Security Benefits?

An estimated 50 million Americans—about 1 in every 7 people—experience some degree of hearing loss. In many cases, hearing loss or deafness does not affect a person’s ability to work. However, it does affect one’s ability to communicate. As a result, people who are deaf or hard of hearing often have difficulty sustaining competitive work.

If you are deaf or hard of hearing and the symptoms of your condition prevent you from being able to hold onto a job, you may be eligible for financial assistance through one of the Social Security disability programs. Keep in mind that a specific diagnosis of your condition does not automatically qualify you for financial assistance. An award of disability benefits depends upon whether any impairment (including a loss of hearing) inhibits your ability to engage in any type of substantial gainful activity (SGA). “SGA” describes a level of work activity and earnings. In general, if you are working and earning more than $1,690 in gross income per month (in 2026), you are engaging in SGA. Your earnings must be below the SGA limit because of medically determinable physical or mental impairments that have lasted, or are expected to last, at least 12 months or are expected to result in death.

There are two disability programs: Social Security Disability Insurance, which is known as SSDI, and Supplemental Security Income, commonly referred to as SSI. SSDI pays benefits to you and certain members of your family if you are disabled, and you worked long enough and paid Social Security taxes recently enough. SSI, on the other hand, is based on financial need. The Social Security Administration (SSA) says, “It is designed to help aged, blind, and disabled people, who have little or no income.” The road to being awarded disability benefits is complicated and difficult to navigate. These disability programs are available for those with profound hearing loss.

To determine if your hearing loss is “profound” and you are medically eligible for disability benefits, Social Security has a set of procedures in place. These procedures are published in a handbook known as the “Blue Book,” and it includes a list of various disabling conditions known as “listings”. If your condition matches the criteria in the Blue Book, you may be awarded disability benefits through the Social Security Administration. In the SSA’s “Listing of Impairments,” the listing for hearing loss without a cochlear implantation is found in Listing 2.10; the listing for hearing loss treated with cochlear implantation is found in Listing 2.11. If your hearing loss meets the criteria of either listing, you are likely to be approved for benefits

To qualify for Social Security disability benefits for deafness or hearing loss without cochlear implants, you must have an otologic (ear) exam and have both audiometry and word recognition tests performed by an otolaryngologist (ENT), a licensed physician, or an audiologist working under the supervision of an ENT or physician.

Listing 2.10 requires that you meet either one of the two following tests, without using your hearing aids:

• Audiometry testing reveals that your average hearing threshold sensitivity for air conduction must be 90dB or worse in your better ear, and you must have a bone conduction hearing threshold of 60 dB or worse in your better ear. Your hearing loss must be calculated by averaging your hearing at the sound frequencies of 500 hertz, 1,000 hertz and 2,000 hertz.

OR

• Word recognition testing documents that you are not able to repeat more than 40% of a list of standardized words spoken in the test.

Your medical records must support the elements of the listing.

The Social Security Administration may also send you to an audiologist for further testing. They may order auditory evoked response testing, a test which measures brainwave responses to tones, in order to determine your level of hearing loss.

Listing 2.11 provides that if you have cochlear implants in one or both ears, you are granted benefits automatically for one year after the implantation, regardless of whether your hearing improves within 12 months. After one year, your disability benefits will be extended so long as your word recognition on a “Hearing in Noise Test” is 60% or less.

Unfortunately, as it is for most disabilities, many individuals with hearing loss do not meet the strict requirements of the Blue Book. However, there is a second way to qualify: by demonstrating that the symptoms of your impairment prevent you from sustaining full-time competitive employment on a consistent and reliable basis. To prove that your impairment prevents you from maintaining full-time employment, you must start with a diagnosis through a doctor’s exam. But, as we said, a diagnosis alone is not enough to qualify you for benefits. Your doctor should also explain how your medical conditions limit your ability to work. This is usually done using a form called the “Residual Functional Capacity” (RFC) form. The RFC form is separate from the medical records and helps your doctor to explain your limitations. To decide whether you qualify for Social Security disability benefits the Social Security Administration will consider the RFC form along with other evidence, such as medical tests.

Because the impact of hearing loss can vary widely among individuals, qualifying for Social Security benefits based on hearing loss can be challenging. You will need to show there are no jobs you could do given the amount of your hearing loss. The most common reason that disability applicants are denied benefits is that they have not provided the right medical and vocational evidence to support their claim. That is why you need a knowledgeable and experienced disability attorney on your side.

If you have a disabling injury or illness and your condition has made it impossible for you to hold a job, contact us at Nash Disability Law for a free evaluation of your situation. We know how to navigate through the complex SSA disability claims process and guide you on the best path forward. We only get paid when you win your case.