can i receive PIP for being deaf? — Scope | Disability forum
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can i receive PIP for being deaf?

tuggy
tuggy Community member Posts: 9 Connected
edited March 2019 in PIP, DLA, and AA
Do you get pip for being deaf with two hearing aids

Comments

  • Antonia_Alumni
    Antonia_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 1,780 Pioneering
    Hi @tuggy welcome to the community. Please have a read through our PIP page and you can do a PIP self test.
    Some of our members may be able to answer your questions soon.
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 53,352 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi,

    PIP isn't awarded based on a diagnosis, it's how those conditions affect your ability to carry out daily activity based on the PIP descriptors. You'll need evidence to support a claim and a face to face assessment will most likely be needed as most have them.




    I would appreciate it if members wouldn't tag me please. I have all notifcations turned off and wouldn't want a member thinking i'm being rude by not replying.
    If i see a question that i know the answer to i will try my best to help.
  • tuggy
    tuggy Community member Posts: 9 Connected
    I had my assessment for my hearing I was getting pip for my back problems I suffer so badly as my hp4 knows my hearing is very bad severe loss which I have hearing aids for they have stopped my pip very disappointed is it the right desicion
  • yanni
    yanni Community member Posts: 91 Pioneering

    @ilovecats

    Can I ask how an assessor decides that hearing aids are ‘effective’ given that there is no facility to do a hearing test at the assessment and NHS hearing tests are done without hearing aids?

    As the assessor is aware that the claimant has a hearing problem, is facing the claimant when speaking and there is no background noise in the assessment room this is not representative of ‘normal life’ where people don’t know I have a hearing problem, talk without getting my attention and looking at me and there is background noise which has a huge impact on my ability to understand speech.

    At my assessment the assessor didn’t look at the medical evidence or the supporting statements I sent in but seemed to decide that as I could answer her questions I could hear with hearing aids and awarded 2 points, conveniently ignoring the numerous times I had asked her to repeat what she said and / or had to check that I had heard her question correctly!

    The tribunal decided that I needed communication support to understand basic verbal information and awarded me 8 points.

    Can you advise what evidence would an assessor need to see to accept that the claimant needs communication support (other than a sign language interpreter, as, like most hearing impaired people, I don’t use sign language)?

    Thank you
  • twonker
    twonker Posts: 617 Pioneering
    edited April 2019
    yanni said:

    @ilovecats

    Can I ask how an assessor decides that hearing aids are ‘effective’ given that there is no facility to do a hearing test at the assessment and NHS hearing tests are done without hearing aids?

    As the assessor is aware that the claimant has a hearing problem, is facing the claimant when speaking and there is no background noise in the assessment room this is not representative of ‘normal life’ where people don’t know I have a hearing problem, talk without getting my attention and looking at me and there is background noise which has a huge impact on my ability to understand speech.

    At my assessment the assessor didn’t look at the medical evidence or the supporting statements I sent in but seemed to decide that as I could answer her questions I could hear with hearing aids and awarded 2 points, conveniently ignoring the numerous times I had asked her to repeat what she said and / or had to check that I had heard her question correctly!

    The tribunal decided that I needed communication support to understand basic verbal information and awarded me 8 points.

    Can you advise what evidence would an assessor need to see to accept that the claimant needs communication support (other than a sign language interpreter, as, like most hearing impaired people, I don’t use sign language)?

    Thank you
    That's a very good question. Trying to assess someone in a noise free room using two hearing aids is going to be better than what real life throws at you. I thought that PIP was actually about seeing what the impact was when wearing two hearing aids in a normal life situation. It does become normal to lip read, I do it a lot. From a strangers perspective it might appear that I can hear normally with the aids.

    So based on that snapshot in time, with the claimant reading lips in a quiet room and too embarrassed to say that they are lip reading would score 2 points? Ridiculous.

    I wear two mainly, but because of the sounds that become distorted in a normal life setting  I sometimes take one out which helps. I defy anybody that uses two aids to say that when driving they can concentrate on the road if the front passenger is talking/radio is on and there is the normal road noise from the tyres/road surface. It is a complete jumble of noise.

    Suffice it to say that when I had the assessment I appeared to understand what the assessor was saying (lip reading of course) and told her that I sometimes take one out to get a better direction of who is talking to me in a noisy room and take the right one out when driving to reduce the background/road noise. Mind you she should have picked up on it because I had to constantly tell her to look at me when talking and not be so rude in talking to her lap top screen which stood between us. I received nil points.
  • tuggy
    tuggy Community member Posts: 9 Connected
    My daughter was with me for support and to relay things back to me if I didn't hear properly as sometimes I become confused she comes with me for most of my appointments embarrassing 
  • twonker
    twonker Posts: 617 Pioneering
    tuggy said:
    My daughter was with me for support and to relay things back to me if I didn't hear properly as sometimes I become confused she comes with me for most of my appointments embarrassing 
    I prefer to go alone that way what is said is private.
  • CockneyRebel
    CockneyRebel Community member Posts: 5,209 Disability Gamechanger
    I wear two aids, most of the time and driving was difficult until I had a second setting added which seems to filter out some of the background rumbles etc. ( still can't quiet filter out the wife shouting at me :) )
    Be all you can be, make  every day count. Namaste
  • twonker
    twonker Posts: 617 Pioneering
    edited April 2019

    I wear two aids, most of the time and driving was difficult until I had a second setting added which seems to filter out some of the background rumbles etc. ( still can't quiet filter out the wife shouting at me :) )

    That is easy to solve. I just turn them down or switch them off, seriously. It works a treat. Then she gets angry accusing me of switching her off - no would I ever do that? - it must be that the batteries are on their way out - sorry love.
    The driving aspect is a bugbear, It sounds like a 44 ton artic with a blown exhaust trying to over take me.
  • CockneyRebel
    CockneyRebel Community member Posts: 5,209 Disability Gamechanger
    LOL I must try that
    Be all you can be, make  every day count. Namaste
  • twonker
    twonker Posts: 617 Pioneering
    ilovecats said:
    twonker said:
    yanni said:

    @ilovecats

    Can I ask how an assessor decides that hearing aids are ‘effective’ given that there is no facility to do a hearing test at the assessment and NHS hearing tests are done without hearing aids?

    As the assessor is aware that the claimant has a hearing problem, is facing the claimant when speaking and there is no background noise in the assessment room this is not representative of ‘normal life’ where people don’t know I have a hearing problem, talk without getting my attention and looking at me and there is background noise which has a huge impact on my ability to understand speech.

    At my assessment the assessor didn’t look at the medical evidence or the supporting statements I sent in but seemed to decide that as I could answer her questions I could hear with hearing aids and awarded 2 points, conveniently ignoring the numerous times I had asked her to repeat what she said and / or had to check that I had heard her question correctly!

    The tribunal decided that I needed communication support to understand basic verbal information and awarded me 8 points.

    Can you advise what evidence would an assessor need to see to accept that the claimant needs communication support (other than a sign language interpreter, as, like most hearing impaired people, I don’t use sign language)?

    Thank you
    That's a very good question. Trying to assess someone in a noise free room using two hearing aids is going to be better than what real life throws at you. I thought that PIP was actually about seeing what the impact was when wearing two hearing aids in a normal life situation. It does become normal to lip read, I do it a lot. From a strangers perspective it might appear that I can hear normally with the aids.

    So based on that snapshot in time, with the claimant reading lips in a quiet room and too embarrassed to say that they are lip reading would score 2 points? Ridiculous.

    I wear two mainly, but because of the sounds that become distorted in a normal life setting  I sometimes take one out which helps. I defy anybody that uses two aids to say that when driving they can concentrate on the road if the front passenger is talking/radio is on and there is the normal road noise from the tyres/road surface. It is a complete jumble of noise.

    Suffice it to say that when I had the assessment I appeared to understand what the assessor was saying (lip reading of course) and told her that I sometimes take one out to get a better direction of who is talking to me in a noisy room and take the right one out when driving to reduce the background/road noise. Mind you she should have picked up on it because I had to constantly tell her to look at me when talking and not be so rude in talking to her lap top screen which stood between us. I received nil points.
    If it appears that  deaf claimant is relying on lip reading is it NOT considered to be reliable and communication support or higher should be awarded.
    Well you say and know that but she clearly didn't. The point after that when thinking about appealing and knowing none of what you have said on here, I could not work out why the hospital audio assessment report wasn't good enough. I could not think of any other evidence that I could have sent that would have changed her mind. 

    How can anyone prove that they are deaf if the hospital assessment report wasn't good enough
    Hence why I never challenged that decision.

  • bigglesworth
    bigglesworth Community member Posts: 23 Connected
    if you look at some of the cases on pipinfo under hearing impairments, you could potentially score for engaging with others if the hearing aids are ineffective when dealing with groups of people talking (and thus additional support is needed in social situations).
  • twonker
    twonker Posts: 617 Pioneering






    If the hospital report was written in such a way that only an audiologist would understand it then than may be why. Most assessors have a pretty good broad medical knowledge but I would not understand an audiologist report. This is why I always advise it is good to get your medical professionals to write something that indicates what your functional ability is. A lot of people just send it diagnosis letters or scan results which don't tell us anything expect, yes they are deaf, yes their spine is messed up, yes, they have anxiety. 

    Either way, if it was clearly obvious that you couldn't hear effectively then it at least should have been acknowledged and the appropriate points given. 
    I know what you mean, I couldn't understand it either. If I remember rightly there were lists of numbers to the left and right plus a few graphs.
    My GP wouldn't know what my functional ability is. It was him that gave me the report to send in. He knows that I am deaf but that's about it.
    Well I thought it was pretty obvious otherwise why would I have to continually tell the woman to face me when talking to me and not to hide behind her computer? Yes should just about fits. There are a lot of shoulds missing. 
  • twonker
    twonker Posts: 617 Pioneering
    edited April 2019
    if you look at some of the cases on pipinfo under hearing impairments, you could potentially score for engaging with others if the hearing aids are ineffective when dealing with groups of people talking (and thus additional support is needed in social situations).
    Excuse me but what is pipinfo when it is at home?
    Ah yes you have hit the nail on the head. There is a difference between a quiet assessment room and a place with a lot of people talking. The assessment is carried out when you can hear (well I can't) a pin drop. Not fair in my opinion and not what real life is like.
  • CockneyRebel
    CockneyRebel Community member Posts: 5,209 Disability Gamechanger
    So it is not only me. I can "hear" one person at a time but when we have visitors or even the tv on, my hearing goes "foggy" as I try to explain it.  My wife thinks the answer is to talk louder, because deaf people just cannot hear which is not the case with me. The sounds just get more confused so I switch off. Most of the time it is not a problem 'cause I prefer my own company, it is easier.
    Be all you can be, make  every day count. Namaste
  • tuggy
    tuggy Community member Posts: 9 Connected
    I'm the same I'm on my own I don't like going out I go out once a week I feel like I'm used to being deaf even though the ring and buzzing in my ears frustrate me sometimes waking me out of my sleep
  • twonker
    twonker Posts: 617 Pioneering
    edited April 2019
    So why are we being assessed in a totally quiet environment? Even with both aids working I need more volume from the one person talking to me hence why I lip read in addition to what I hear.
    It's just like being assessed whilst walking. It is carried out by the assessor as on a level floor with no bumps, dips or hills. When will the assessors understand that both of those situations are not real life. 

    It's no wonder given these totally unfair situations that most people who are deaf and/or are unable to walk more than 20 metres are being failed.
  • tuggy
    tuggy Community member Posts: 9 Connected
    I totally agree I take a lot of medication for my back which helps a little I'm constantly in pain as well as my hearing problem I know there are people worse of than me so I shouldn't grumble really

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