Figure 1
The federal disability tests, side by side
| SSA listing 2.10 | Social Security Administration | Adults whose hearing loss is not treated with cochlear implantation | Better ear: average air conduction threshold of 90 dB or more and bone conduction of 60 dB or more, or word recognition of 40% or less | Medical listing for disability benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSA listing 2.11 | Social Security Administration | Adults with a cochlear implant | Disabled for 1 year after the first implantation; after that, word recognition of 60% or less on the HINT | Medical listing for disability benefits |
| Substantial gainful activity (SGA) | Social Security Administration | Anyone applying for disability benefits | Non-blind amount: $1,690 a month in 2026, $1,770 in 2027 | A person must be unable to engage in SGA to be eligible |
| ADA Title I (employment) | EEOC | Private employers with 15 or more employees; state and local government employers | An impairment that substantially limits a major life activity, judged without the benefit of a hearing aid or implant | Protection from discrimination; accommodations such as a sign language interpreter |
| Rehabilitation Act, Section 501 | EEOC | Federal employees and applicants | Similar protections to the ADA | Covers federal employment |
| ADA effective communication (titles II and III) | Justice Department | State and local governments, public accommodations and commercial facilities | A communication disability | Aids when needed: notetaker, interpreters, real-time captioning, written materials |
| IDEA, § 300.8(c)(3): deafness | Education Department | Children | So severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification | Disability category under IDEA |
| IDEA, § 300.8(c)(5): hearing impairment | Education Department | Children | Permanent or fluctuating, adversely affects educational performance, not included under deafness | Disability category under IDEA |
How to read these numbers (2)
- Each row paraphrases the named federal text, read on November 3, 2026. The table decides no claim and calculates no eligibility.
- SSA listings 2.10 and 2.11 are the adult listings; the SGA amounts are SSA's monthly figures for the year shown.
- www.ssa.gov,ssa.gov/…/2.00-SpecialSensesandSpeech…
- www.eeoc.gov,eeoc.gov/…/hearing-disabilities-workplace…
- sites.ed.gov,sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/a/300.8/c/3
- Social Security Administration,ssa.gov/oact/cola/sga.html
- U.S. Department of Education,sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/a/300.8/c/5
- U.S. Department of Justice (ADA.gov),ada.gov/resources/effective-communication
The earnings test: substantial gainful activity
Meeting a listing isn't the whole test. Social Security states that to be eligible for disability benefits, a person must be unable to engage in substantial gainful activity (SGA), and it sets SGA as a monthly amount of earnings.
SSA's table shows $1,690 a month for non-blind people in 2026 and $1,770 in 2027. The higher figures in the same table, $2,830 in 2026 and $2,950 in 2027, are for people who are statutorily blind, a vision rule; for hearing loss on its own, the non-blind row is the one to read.
This page doesn't judge a claim or work out whether anyone qualifies. It sets the two tests side by side so you can see that a hearing test result and an earnings figure both count.
Is hearing loss a disability at work? The ADA and the EEOC
At work, the question is answered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, which the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces. Its definition covers a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of such an impairment, or being regarded as having one. Unlike Social Security, it names no decibel level.
Two points from the EEOC's guidance on hearing disabilities settle many questions. The benefit of a hearing aid or a cochlear implant is not considered when deciding whether the impairment is substantially limiting. And people who are deaf should easily be found to have a disability under the first part of the definition.
Title I of the ADA covers private employers with 15 or more employees and state and local government employers. Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act gives similar protections in federal employment, and some state laws may apply to smaller employers.
Applicants don't have to disclose a hearing disability unless they need a reasonable accommodation for the application process. Among the accommodations the EEOC lists for applicants or employees with hearing disabilities is a sign language interpreter.
At school: deafness and hearing impairment under IDEA
For children, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) uses two categories. Deafness, under § 300.8(c)(3), is a hearing impairment so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification, in a way that adversely affects educational performance.
Hearing impairment, under § 300.8(c)(5), covers an impairment in hearing, permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child's educational performance but isn't included under deafness.
Both turn on the effect on schooling, not on a hearing level. Of the tests on this page, only Social Security's listings print a decibel or word recognition figure. For coverage of a child's hearing aids, see hearing aids for children.
Public places and services: ADA communication access
Outside work, the Justice Department's effective communication rules apply under title II, to state and local government services, and title III, to public accommodations and commercial facilities. For people who are deaf or have hearing loss, the guidance lists a qualified notetaker, a qualified sign language, oral, cued-speech or tactile interpreter, real-time captioning and written materials among the aids a covered entity provides when needed.
The words deaf and hard of hearing, and Census counts of people with a hearing difficulty in each state, are on deaf vs hard of hearing. Veterans' ratings follow their own schedule: see VA rating for hearing loss.
Frequently asked questions
What is life like for someone who is deaf?
No source on this page describes daily life; what federal law sets is access. Under the ADA, covered businesses and governments provide aids such as sign language interpreters, real-time captioning or written materials when needed. At work, the EEOC says people who are deaf should easily be found to have a disability, and lists a sign language interpreter among possible accommodations.
Sources
Rules come from the Social Security Administration's Blue Book (adult listings, section 2.00) and its substantial gainful activity page, the EEOC's guidance on hearing disabilities in the workplace, the Justice Department's ADA effective communication guidance and the Education Department's IDEA regulations, all read on November 3, 2026. Each row of the table paraphrases one of these texts; no eligibility is calculated.
- https://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/2.00-SpecialSensesandSpeech-Adult.htm
- https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/hearing-disabilities-workplace-and-americans-disabilities-act
- https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/a/300.8/c/3
- https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/sga.html
- https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/a/300.8/c/5
- https://www.ada.gov/resources/effective-communication/
Cost and coverage research, not medical advice or legal advice. Agencies decide each claim; check the current text of each rule before you apply.
Social Security disability for hearing loss: listings 2.10 and 2.11
Social Security's Blue Book lists hearing loss under two entries, depending on whether the person has a cochlear implant.
Listing 2.10 covers hearing loss not treated with cochlear implantation, and it can be met in one of two ways. The first is an average air conduction hearing threshold of 90 decibels or greater in the better ear, together with an average bone conduction hearing threshold of 60 decibels or greater in the better ear. The second is a word recognition score of 40 percent or less in the better ear, on a standardized list of phonetically balanced one-syllable words.
Listing 2.11 covers hearing loss treated with cochlear implantation. Social Security considers the person disabled for 1 year after the first implantation. After that year, the listing asks for a word recognition score of 60 percent or less on the HINT.
Both listings are measured in the better ear.