Hearing disability is a condition that affects the ability to hear and, as a result, can have a significant impact on the daily life of those living with it. This disability can appear in different degrees, from mild difficulty hearing to total hearing loss. Understanding these degrees, their causes, and the assessment process is essential to recognising the impact this condition has on the lives of those affected.
What is a hearing disability?
Hearing disability refers to a reduction or loss in the ability to hear, which can affect one or both ears. Depending on severity, this condition can limit a person’s ability to communicate and take full part in everyday activities.
Causes of hearing disability
The causes of hearing disability vary widely and can be broadly classed as congenital (present from birth) or acquired (developing over the course of life). Some of the most common causes include:
- Prolonged exposure to loud noise: Such as in certain work environments, or from continued headphone use at high volume.
- Ageing: Age-related hearing loss, known as presbycusis, is common in older adults.
- Ear infections: Recurring or poorly treated infections can damage the inner ear.
- Genetic factors: Some people are born predisposed to hearing loss.
- Chronic illnesses: Conditions such as diabetes can contribute to hearing loss.
- Trauma: Blows to the head or physical damage to the ears can cause hearing loss.
Degrees of hearing disability
Hearing disability is classified into different degrees depending on the severity of the hearing loss. These degrees matter for determining how the hearing loss impacts daily life, and for establishing official recognition of the disability.
- Mild hearing loss: People with this degree may struggle to hear quiet sounds or understand speech in noisy environments.
- Moderate hearing loss: At this level, understanding speech is significantly affected, especially in group conversations.
- Severe hearing loss: It’s often difficult or impossible to hear most everyday sounds without a hearing aid.
- Profound hearing loss: People with profound hearing loss can only perceive very loud sounds and may need a cochlear implant to improve their hearing.
In Spain, the procedure for recognising, declaring and rating the degree of disability is set out in Royal Decree 888/2022, of 18 October.
The degree of hearing disability is determined using a pure-tone hearing test, which measures the decibels the ear can’t pick up.
This test looks at the four key frequencies for speech understanding: 500 Hz, 1,000 Hz, 2,000 Hz and 4,000 Hz. Although a hearing test examines more frequencies than this, these four are crucial for detecting any difficulty with communication. To calculate the percentage of hearing disability, hearing loss in both ears (binaural) is also taken into account. For example, if someone has total loss in one ear but hears normally with the other, the degree of hearing disability assigned will be lower.
Assessment and recognition of hearing disability
Responsibility for recognising and assessing a person’s degree of disability lies with Spain’s regional governments (comunidades autónomas). In Ceuta and Melilla, this is handled by the Institute for the Elderly and Social Services (Imserso).
In the Region of Valencia (Comunitat Valenciana), the competent body is the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Social Services, Family and Childhood in the province where the applicant lives. The application can also be submitted through PROP offices or the Social Services departments of town councils, who will forward it to the competent body.
The procedure for recognising, declaring and rating the degree of disability can be started at any time, at the request of the person concerned or their legal representative. The application, together with the medical, psychological and/or social reports supporting the claimed impairments, and any other required or supplementary documentation, can be submitted online or in person at town councils across the Region of Valencia, at PROP offices, at the Regional Directorate of the Ministry responsible for social services in the applicant’s province of residence, or at the Disability Assessment and Guidance Centre (CVO) in Valencia, for applicants living in Valencia.
For a hearing disability to be officially recognised, a detailed medical assessment is required. This assessment usually includes:
- Graphic audiometry: A hearing test is carried out measuring hearing ability at 500, 1,000, 2,000 and 4,000 Hz. The hearing loss levels, measured in decibels (dB), are added up across these frequencies. A table published in Spain’s official gazette (BOE) is used to determine the hearing loss percentage, based on the total sum of the hearing thresholds at the frequencies mentioned. The table assigns a percentage of hearing impairment based on this total.
- Medical report: An ENT specialist will assess ear health and the possible causes of the hearing loss. IMPORTANT: The medical report must come from the public health system (Seguridad Social) — reports from private health insurers or private clinics are not valid.
- Functional assessment: In some cases, how the hearing loss affects daily activities and communication ability will also be assessed.
Once the assessment is complete, the degree of hearing disability is determined, and this can be legally recognised, which can grant access to specific benefits and services to improve the affected person’s quality of life.
Work incapacity assessment for hearing disability
To apply for work incapacity due to a hearing disability, the following requirements must be met:
- Permanence of the hearing disorder: The hearing loss must be permanent.
- Minimum disability percentage: A disability percentage of 33% or higher is required.
- Hearing tests: The employee must undergo hearing tests measuring hypoacusis at the 4 decibel frequencies a healthy ear can normally perceive.
Once the necessary medical treatments have been carried out, the applicant will be reassessed to check whether the hearing damage persists. How the impairment affects the worker’s ability to do their job will also be taken into account.
If it’s shown that the hearing loss was acquired due to working conditions, such as exposure to very noisy environments without proper protection, the employee could be entitled to claim a permanent incapacity pension.
For the assessment of the degree of hearing disability, the loss must be permanent, and the impairment percentage is calculated based on binaural hearing loss.
It’s worth remembering that recognition of this disability falls under the social services of the region (Comunidad Autónoma) where you live, although it’s valid across the whole of Spain.
What type of work incapacity can be applied for?
When someone has a hearing disability and their job relies heavily on language and the ability to hear, they can apply for partial, total, or absolute work incapacity, depending on how much difficulty the disability causes in their job performance.
- Partial permanent incapacity: Granted when the hearing loss doesn’t reduce work performance by more than 33%.
- Total work incapacity: Granted when the worker is unable to carry out any task within their usual profession.
- Absolute permanent incapacity: In cases of severe hearing disability, where the worker cannot perform any type of work, this incapacity can be applied for.
What’s more, if the person needs to drive vehicles as part of their job, they could also be entitled to total permanent incapacity, since difficulty identifying sounds or their direction could increase the risk of accidents.
Hearing disability, at any degree, can have a considerable impact on daily life, affecting communication, social relationships and the ability to work. It’s essential for anyone who suspects they have hearing loss to seek a professional assessment to determine the degree of disability and explore the treatment options available. Official recognition of this disability is an important step towards accessing the resources and support needed to improve quality of life.
To apply for recognition of a hearing disability, or to process a work incapacity claim, an accurate, professional hearing test is essential. We invite you to visit our hearing centre in Valencia, where our specialist team will carry out the hearing test you need to submit. Don’t miss the chance to get a reliable diagnosis and the support you need to improve your quality of life. We look forward to seeing you at Juan Llorens 7!
