At What Level is Hearing Loss Considered a Disability?

If you have hearing loss and it has an impact on you, or your family, then you may be curious to see if it counts as a disability. A lot of people who have hearing loss find that it is degenerative, but sometimes this can be slowed down considerably. The main thing to take note of is whether or not your hearing loss counts as being a disability, depends on the organisation that you ask.

If you want to explore disability benefits, then you may need to show that your average hearing rate is 100 dB or below. You may also qualify if you are unable to repeat up to 40% of the words spoken back during a word recognition test. If you can show that you are within this threshold, then it is entirely possible for you to qualify for disability benefits.

Does Wearing a Hearing Aid Class as a Disability?

In this day and age, things have advanced quite a lot. There are also some hearing aid tests that you can undergo to qualify for hearing loss as a disability. When you get the test done, you will do so without wearing any kind of hearing aid. That being said, the act of wearing a hearing aid is not recognised as being a disability within itself.

In some instances, you may choose to wear a hearing aid, even if you do have a very low level of hearing loss. It may help you more than you realise in your day-to-day life. The level of hearing loss you have been tested for may actually be below what the benefits association class as having a disability.

For this reason, it is important to know that having a hearing aid can help you with your disability, especially if you are experiencing profound hearing loss, but it is not a disability within itself. Things work by the level of hearing loss, and not by whether or not you wear hearing aids

Hearing Loss Guidelines

There are usually two types of hearing loss. You have conductive hearing loss, and you also have sensorineural hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing loss happens when there is a defect in the cochlea, or in the auditory nerve. This happens when the nerve impulses from the cochlea become attenuated. With conductive hearing loss, you have loss of hearing because of a defect in the external auditory canal, or within the middle ear.

Normal hearing is when there is a hearing loss of around 25dBs or less. Hearing loss exists when the hearing loss is 100dBs or greater when certain frequencies are played. Hearing loss can also exist when the decibel loss is greater than 25dBs at frequencies that are between 250-8000 hertz. This alone however is not usually enough to determine the definition of hearing loss. The presence of hearing loss, and the type of hearing loss you have will usually be diagnosed via an audiogram.

The cause of your hearing loss cannot be determined via an audiogram alone. The history of the patient and a physical examination has to take place. Regular tests also have to be carried out, so that the audiogram findings can be supported. This is the best way to ensure that the right diagnosis is made so that the findings can achieve a conclusion in regards to hearing loss and whether or not it could be classed as being a disability.

Should you Visit a Professional?

At the end of the day, it can be very difficult to deal with untreated hearing loss, to the point where it impacts your quality of life greatly. Some say that hearing loss is a hidden disability, but if you believe that it is having an impact on your life, then it’s vital you talk to a hearing instrument specialist. If you make sure that you have your hearing tested annually, then this will help you to establish a baseline, and it also gives you the chance to protect yourself from any hearing loss in the future.

If you want to find out more about hearing loss or if you would like to get your hearing tested, then you can learn about our staff at Hearing Well Matters by calling (647) 247-2704. We would be more than happy to help you find the answers you need so you can regain your social confidence while also finding out what degree of hearing loss you have and your best treatment options.