Social Security Disability Reviews After C.I.

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dcs17

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Hello, I am new to this forum and have bi-lateral BTE's that are not of much help. I have 0 % scores on speech discrimination word and sentence tests in both ears.
I would like to hear from anyone who was/is on social security disability solely due to their hearing loss, had a cochlear implant(s) ,and then post C.I. went through what is called a CDR(continuing disability review. If you went through this exact chain of events, what was the result of the C.D.R. and what state are you in.
Also, I have seen on a law firm's website that social security has a proposed section 2.11 about hearing loss and treatment under social security disability. The law firm is non-responsive to my request to find out what this says and where to find it. I have searched the social security website and the internet trying to find the proposal to no luck. Maybe someone can steer me to this?
Thanks in advance
 
dcs17 said:
Hello, I am new to this forum and have bi-lateral BTE's that are not of much help. I have 0 % scores on speech discrimination word and sentence tests in both ears.
I would like to hear from anyone who was/is on social security disability solely due to their hearing loss, had a cochlear implant(s) ,and then post C.I. went through what is called a CDR(continuing disability review. If you went through this exact chain of events, what was the result of the C.D.R. and what state are you in.
Also, I have seen on a law firm's website that social security has a proposed section 2.11 about hearing loss and treatment under social security disability. The law firm is non-responsive to my request to find out what this says and where to find it. I have searched the social security website and the internet trying to find the proposal to no luck. Maybe someone can steer me to this?
Thanks in advance
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I know some deaf people with CI still collect SSDI. Have you apply it?
 
My former aide who has a CI and is considered a "successful" user collects SSI.
 
I am on SSDI and easily passed a battery of tests that confirmed that I am a bi-lateral candidate. I am worried about losing the SSDI post implant and then would also lose Medicare coverage that I have not because of age but because of being on SSDI for at least 2 yrs. I want to hear from someone who has gone through the CDR after implant
 
SSI is not SSDI. SSI you get as a supplemental income due to not earning a good wage. SSDI is social security disability income that I collect due to severe hearing loss in both ears. It is an inherited deal in my case. Hearing loss started in my 20's and gradually worsened over many years. You go through no medical reviews for SSI
 
SSI or SSDI..I dont know which one she collects. The point is ..she qualified for it despite being a successful implant user.
 
If she gets SSI, that only is due to the fact that her income on her job is not a lot. It has absolutely nothing to do with hearing loss or whether or not she has a CI. Her situation is relevant to mine if she gets paid SSDI. If she gets SSDI and has had a social security medical review after the implant then, I would want to know the results.
Thanks
 
dcs17 said:
If she gets SSI, that only is due to the fact that her income on her job is not a lot. It has absolutely nothing to do with hearing loss or whether or not she has a CI. Her situation is relevant to mine if she gets paid SSDI. If she gets SSDI and has had a social security medical review after the implant then, I would want to know the results.
Thanks
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I could be wrong..SSI or SSDI..dunno. I know she started collecting it after quitting her job at my work.
 
if your CI happens not to be working then you may not hear that much or none. So the SS benefit will continues. It does not matter if you can speak well or can hear with CI. DDS aka Disability Determination Services would only recognizes anyone who have degrees of hearing loss that met their policy. I do not know what their policy between severe hearing loss to profound hearing loss or just profound hearing loss. I know few CI users who are receving SSDI benefits.
 
Maybe you could ask those that you know that have C.I.and on SSDI to kindly get in touch with me. If they are on SSDI for anything else besides hearing loss, it would not be apples to apples to my situation. Also ,if they have not been through a SS medical review after their CI, they would not be able to tell me how it went.
I want to hopefully hear from someone who has this exact situation
A -got on SSDI only because of hearing loss
B--had a CI later
C-had been through a SS medical review after the CI was in place for at least 12 months

To get SSDI for hearing loss,it is a very simple criteria. You get it IF-you score < 40% in your BEST ear on a speech discrimination test OR- if it takes at least sounds at an average of 90 or more decibels at the 500,1000, and 2000 frequency level to hear tones in the Best ear. It is my understanding that with a sucessful CI and allowing adequate time that one would expect to not meet either of those criteria in the implanted ear when tested with the processor working. I dont know if the whole situation is reviewed with no consideration allowed for age,time out of work,prior work,etc and if they make allowances can that be determined prior to a CI.
 
As an FYI to my last post, I received the SSDI approval 7 months after applying with no appeal needed. It happening that way is definitely the exception to the typical SSDI case. The criteria I mentioned can be read in section 2.08 of the SS redbook used for disability rules.
 
My daughter receives SSDI and she is on Medicaid. Her only qualification is hearing loss. She hasa CI and scores in the 90+% with it.
 
I think most late CI implants still qualify for SSDI. Because if someone was raises with hearing aids all their life, That's what they are going to hear with their CI. That's what I hear with some improvments minus the feedbacks. But I still can't understand phones that well, at least not without close up sounds, speechreading, and silent. And I still rely on closed captioning and I had my CI for a long time too. And I still struggle. CI can not turn back the clock how you were raised though. If there was a cure for hearing, there's no cure for poor education due to deafness.
 
They should definitely test you in a noisy environment. I don't know a single workplace that is quiet.... yet.
 
I get SSI and I wondered about this too. I mainly just wanted time to be able to find some way to prepare if that is taken away after my CI. I've only been activated for about a month now.

Anyway, A week after activation I had to go in for my evaluation at Social Security. Told them about my recent CI and it had no effect on my SSI.

SSI basically boils down to if the person has a "Disability" that prevents them from getting decent employment. You can have a job but the more you make the less the SSI will be. Make enough then it stops (As it should).

So the way I look at it is this. It took me a long time to go in any apply. I didn't want to take advantage of it. But I talked to a man one day and he said "Look, I pay taxes. I'd rather this money go to someone who really has a "disability" then all those who fake them". Then he went on to explain that he joined the military, I can't because of my deafness. There are some other things that deaf aren't allowed to do. In my many jobs I always ran into this wall that stops me from promotions because the promotion would require things like sales (Talking to customers), Not making commission on sales because you have to send the customer to someone who can hear. Jobs that will only put deaf people in simply jobs like packing screw. I even had one job at a restaurant. I'm a good cook but they wouldn't make me cook because it requires to hear the orders. Many jobs require you to be on "Call" and must be able to talk on the phone. All these things made me decide to go in for SSI.

So I figure if my CI will someday allow me to talk on the phone. To hear speech well enough. Then I'll get a decent job and won't need that SSI. I'd just need to know when it'll be taken away before hand so I can be prepared for it.

But from my recent experience. They know I have my CI now and nothing has changed in my SSI checks as a result of it.

Ron Jaxon
 
And has she actually been through a continuing medical review? That can take place as many as 5-10 years after the SSDI is approved
 
Lighthouse77 said:
I think most late CI implants still qualify for SSDI. Because if someone was raises with hearing aids all their life, That's what they are going to hear with their CI. That's what I hear with some improvments minus the feedbacks. But I still can't understand phones that well, at least not without close up sounds, speechreading, and silent. And I still rely on closed captioning and I had my CI for a long time too. And I still struggle. CI can not turn back the clock how you were raised though. If there was a cure for hearing, there's no cure for poor education due to deafness.
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Have you actually been through a continuing medical review since the implant? Sounds like you were deaf for many years. I have been told that since my hearing loss didnt begin until my early to mid 20's and was gradually that I stand a good chance of having very good results with an implant. My HOH is virtually equal in each ear so an initial implant is flip a coin as to which ear!!
 
RonJaxon said:
I get SSI and I wondered about this too. I mainly just wanted time to be able to find some way to prepare if that is taken away after my CI. I've only been activated for about a month now.

Anyway, A week after activation I had to go in for my evaluation at Social Security. Told them about my recent CI and it had no effect on my SSI.

SSI basically boils down to if the person has a "Disability" that prevents them from getting decent employment. You can have a job but the more you make the less the SSI will be. Make enough then it stops (As it should).

So the way I look at it is this. It took me a long time to go in any apply. I didn't want to take advantage of it. But I talked to a man one day and he said "Look, I pay taxes. I'd rather this money go to someone who really has a "disability" then all those who fake them". Then he went on to explain that he joined the military, I can't because of my deafness. There are some other things that deaf aren't allowed to do. In my many jobs I always ran into this wall that stops me from promotions because the promotion would require things like sales (Talking to customers), Not making commission on sales because you have to send the customer to someone who can hear. Jobs that will only put deaf people in simply jobs like packing screw. I even had one job at a restaurant. I'm a good cook but they wouldn't make me cook because it requires to hear the orders. Many jobs require you to be on "Call" and must be able to talk on the phone. All these things made me decide to go in for SSI.

So I figure if my CI will someday allow me to talk on the phone. To hear speech well enough. Then I'll get a decent job and won't need that SSI. I'd just need to know when it'll be taken away before hand so I can be prepared for it.

But from my recent experience. They know I have my CI now and nothing has changed in my SSI checks as a result of it.

Ron Jaxon
Click to expand...

Ron, you keep referring to SSI. That is supplemental security income which can be obtained by anyone whose income falls below a certain amount. Many handicapped people cannot land in the better paying jobs and can thus qualify for SSI. So, one will not jeopardize their SSI by having a CI unless it results in a good income increase.
Now, if you are on SSDI or social security disability income like I am for profound hearing loss, the CI may or may not become an issue to losing. That is the circumstances I am trying to find out from someone. I get lots of comments such as "it shouldn't, I know someone who kept their SSDI after a CI, or the CI procedure will deafen that ear so you shouldn't.
The bottom line is none of those comments are saying, " I obtained SSDI due only to my hearing loss and not due to any other health conditions, I later had a successful CI, and over a yr later, I went through another medical exam for social security, I was tested with the processor on, and here is the result. I plea that someone is out there who can fit this hain of events and tell me about it

Thanks
 
dcs17 said:
And has she actually been through a continuing medical review? That can take place as many as 5-10 years after the SSDI is approved
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She started receiving SSDI 5 years ago. We had a review with the caseworker last year.
 
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