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Hearing aid - 30% hearing loss in one ear is acceptable!
Just had a MRN from PIP and the DM has stated:
“Although previously PIP have awarded points for using a device in one ear, this is no longer the case, we can only award points if a device is required for both ears. Having adequate hearing in one ear is not considered as needing aids. You have a 30% hearing loss in your right ear and normal function in your left ear”.
Checked the PIP Assessment Guide and there is nothing about needing aids in both ears…
Has something changed??
it’s about understanding communication, surely?
i should be very surprised if someone with hearing fine in one ear and 30% loss in the other can be said to have a difficulty in understanding the spoken word, which is the criteria.
i would think differently if bilateral aiding was needed. but that would only get 2 points at most.
It was more the fact that the PIP DM is stating that points can only be awarded in cases where 2 aids are now required…she was awarded 2 points before for needing a hearing aid and now they’ve been taken away.
Yes this is not unusual. Paragraph 138 from the Submission-Tron January 2017 edition is:
A claimant with good hearing in one ear, using a hearing aid in the other, wouldn’t normally score any points as their hearing is satisfactory without an aid or communication support.
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/origins_of_and_list_of_stock_phr
in fact i’d wonder as to why a hearing aid is worn…..
is there something else going on you haven’t been told about? tinnitus or something? one can have perfectly good hearing but also have tinnitus ....
Has an assumption been made that the client has normal hearing in the ear without an aid?
You can have a hearing aid in the better ear as it could be smaller
So I would hazard an educated guess that the HCP has not fully explored their hearing without the aid in the context of everyday communication to a reasonable standard. Without the aid can they hear and understand basic or complex information on the majority of days to a reasonable standard using the one good ear? That’s where to focus your evidence and you probably already have done so
I think the actual error here is to think solely in terms of hearing impairment and communication. Hearing loss is rarely uniform but where it’s more significant on one side than the other it has the potential to cause fundamental issues with orienting oneself in relation to key sounds.
There is a smoke alarm going off? Which room is it going off in?
You need assistance with directions in an unfamiliar place but you are asking someone out of doors with considerable background noise.
You’re in a group of people. You can see multiple lips moving at once but your ability to immediately locate who is talking and who they’re addressing is impaired by the fact you’re getting unbalanced input.
in which case it’s about the evidence as to those possible issues and how the aid helps, and then a look at the hcp report to note that the hcp (probably) hasn’t understood a word of it ad says “person could hear fine in a room with me) lol. in which case off to tribunal, with relevant evidence!
in which case it’s about the evidence as to those possible issues and how the aid helps, and then a look at the hcp report to note that the hcp (probably) hasn’t understood a word of it ad says “person could hear fine in a room with me) lol. in which case off to tribunal, with relevant evidence!
Quite.