Social Security Disability: Hearing and Speech Loss

Similar to vision loss, hearing loss can be a difficult disability to analyze for Social Security Disability. Why is this? Like vision loss, many people struggle with hearing loss especially as they become older; however, a person’s hearing loss must be very severe to qualify for Social Security Disability. This is another disability that is extremely important to have objective evidence from your doctor demonstrating exactly how bad your hearing truly is. Simply telling Social Security you cannot work because you have a hard time hearing people is not going to be enough.

Speech loss is not a common disability I encounter in my practice. Not many people experience severe speech loss in general, so it is definitely rare for it to reach the point that you are unable to sustain full time employment. For this reason, Social Security will not only evaluate your ability to speak, but also to what level your voice and articulation can be improved with mechanical or electronic devices.

As I stated before, vision, hearing, and speech loss are obscure impairments to evaluate for Social Security Disability. Any type of loss in these special sense areas can certainly make working more difficult, but whether you are disabled by Social Security’s standard is an entirely different issue. If you believe you are no longer able to work due to a loss of one of these senses, I would encourage you to visit www.ssa.gov or contact a Social Security Disability lawyer as soon as possible.