Tinnitus

Tinnitus can be a severe medical condition, therefore it should be listed if a person is filing for SSD or SSI disability benefits. This condition is most often classified as a hearing impairment. If it were listed in the SSA Blue Book impairment listings, it would be covered in the adult listings section 2.00, Special Senses and Speech - Adult.  It is most often evaluated under listing 2.07, Disturbance of labyrinthine-vestibular function. The listing requires a history of frequent attacks of balance disturbance, tinnitus, and progressive loss of hearing verified by an audiometry test. If a person cannot meet this listing they may be evaluated under listing 2.10, Hearing loss not treated with cochlear implantation.

There are more than 37 million American adults experiencing some kind of hearing loss. Approximately one-fourth of the adults older than 65 experience disabling hearing loss. The numbers are lower with younger groups, and some 60,000 U.S. adults have undergone cochlear implantation

Tinnitus, a symptom of a variety of conditions, causes phantom (not real) noises in the ears. These noises may sound like ringing, buzzing, roaring, clicking, whistling or hissing, and can vary from low or high pitch.

Severity of tinnitus varies ' some people may experience very loud noise or very quiet noise, and some may experience noise at all times or just some of the time. Tinnitus is not dangerous, but it is an annoyance and may impact quality of life.

Impact on quality of life may lead those with tinnitus to seek treatment for anxiety and depression, stress, irritability, fatigue, memory problems.

Tinnitus can be subjective or objective. Subjective tinnitus is only heard by the affected individual, while objective tinnitus can be heard by a doctor during an ear exam. Objective tinnitus is rare, and is caused by problems with muscle tissue, blood vessels or bone of the inner ear.

Tinnitus is most commonly caused by normal hearing loss associated with age, typically 60 years and older, noise-related hearing loss (leading to either short or long-term tinnitus), excessive build up of earwax, and bone problems, such as stiffening, in the inner ear.

Medications can cause tinnitus, which typically increases along with the dosage. Antibiotics, malaria medication, cancer treatments, diuretics and very high doses of aspirin may cause temporary tinnitus.

White males over the age of 65 are the most likely to develop tinnitus. Those who have hearing loss or have been exposed to extended periods of loud noise without protecting the ears are at a higher risk for developing tinnitus.

Devices that create white noise may help mask the sound. Medications such as certain antidepressants and anxiety medications may be helpful in severe cases. Sometimes alleviating tinnitus is as simple as removing earwax buildup, changing a medication, or treating an underlying condition. 

If you need help applying for Social Security Disability or SSI, please contact me at joshben99@gmail.com. I have over 20 years experience with Social Security Disability cases.

Location: Michigan, USA

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