What you have to prove
Show: (1) a history of frequent attacks of balance disturbance, tinnitus, and progressive loss of hearing; (2) disturbed function of vestibular labyrinth demonstrated by caloric or other vestibular tests; AND (3) hearing loss established by audiometry.
Medical evidence SSA expects
ENT evaluation, audiogram, caloric/electronystagmography (ENG), rotary chair testing, and documentation of attack frequency.
Common misconceptions
Occasional benign positional vertigo (BPPV) doesn't meet the listing — it requires a chronic condition with combined vestibular and auditory findings.
Didn't meet the listing? You can still qualify via a Medical-Vocational
Allowance — SSA's determination that your residual functional capacity, combined with
your age, education, and work history, leaves no jobs you can do. See our
appeals guide for what to do after an initial denial.