Benefits?

[Cmcf88]

Had anyone successfully claimed any benefits such a PIP/DLA and UC with tinnitus? I'm at the point now where I can't hear the orders coming to me in the restaurant and when I'm cooking I'll zone out to the ringing in my ear and forget about the food I'm cooking or cutting. I've had several close calls where I've almost caused a fire or cut a finger off due to zoning out and I'm being told I'll probably be let go soon.

[Happyrosie]

I’m so sorry your tinnitus is causing you problems. I think your first action, if you haven’t done this already, is talk to your gp about your hearing problems. It may be that you are a little deaf and this is causing you to zone out, rather than the tinnitus.

Have a look at the website of Tinnitus UK for a lot more information about tinnitus.

I don’t have any experience of PIP specific to tinnitus, but I do know quite a bit about PIP having applied for this for a family member, To get PIP you would need to demonstrate some of the following

Difficulty with:

preparing food

eating and drinking

managing your medicines or treatments

washing and bathing

using the toilet

dressing and undressing

reading

managing your money

socialising and being around other people

talking, listening and understanding

I wouldn’t think that tinnitus would cause these problems, but the experts on this in the community are the staff and voluntary Citizens Advice Bureau.

[Karlos99]

hi there. I get pip but I’ve got other issues such as diverticulitis, nerve pain and mental health problems. You do score some points for tinnitus such as if you have to wear a device to help you in situations. The wording is vague so this could be something as simple as noise cancelling headphones. This alone would not get you enough points to be successful though. If your tinnitus affects your mental health that stops you doing day to day things that would help you though. There’s a good guide on the citizens advice website that explains all the criteria. Good luck.

[Candleinthewind]

Tinitus is not taken seriously by doctors or benefits Office. However, anxiety is, and the things you can't do because of it. Have you looked into hyperacusis? Audiology are now saying they've got more to do with psychosis than hearing, and different medications help different people. I am on pip. Clonazepam and aripiprazol are having a positive affect for me apart from the side effects. I encourage you to apply for pip. Jay.

[TinnitusUKPat Partner]

I think - and bear in mind I'm no benefits expert - that tinnitus is viewed in the Equality Act as a symptom of hearing loss. Hearing loss would be a protected characteristic under the provisions of that Act, which should lead to people being discriminated against.

Even if the relative level of hearing loss that someone has is mild, high-frequency based and doesn't have that noticeable an impact on the applicant's life, it is hearing loss which is covered by the Act and not tinnitus: rnid.org.uk/information-and...

Look at this way - hearing loss is measurable, whilst tinnitus isn't, currently. A case worker using a point-based scale to determine the extent of a claimant's disability would perhaps view hearing loss as quantifiable, in that audiology reports measure it in data points.

The Tinnitus Handicap Inventory questionnaire, or similar ways of reporting the emotional and psychological impact of tinnitus on a person, are measuring something different, which is no less real although difficult to plot on a graph. How is that going to figure into a case worker's report?

I would concur with the advice about reaching out to the resources provided by Citizen's Advice Bureau on benefits claims - citizensadvice.org.uk/benef...