Criteria: Table 11-1 Monoaural Hearing Loss and Impairment (247), Table 11-2 Computation of Binaural Hearing Impairment (248-249), Table 11-3 Relationship of Binaural Hearing Impairment to Impairment of the Whole Person (250)
Guidance: Permanent impairment evaluation is based on Section 11.2 The Ear (247), and Section 11.2a Criteria for Rating Impairment Due to Hearing Loss (246-251). Impairment is based on an audiogram and Table 11-2, Computation of Binaural Hearing Impairment (248-249). The decibel sum of the hearing threshold levels (DSHL) is determined by adding the four decibel hearing levels at 500, 1000, 2000, and 3000 Hz for each ear separately. The computation for binaural impairment is then based on Table 11-2, Computation of Binaural Hearing Impairment (248-249); the better and worse ear values are combined using the table, for a percentage of binaural hearing impairment. The hearing impairment is converted to whole person permanent impairment using Table 11-3, Relationship of Binaural Hearing Impairment to Impairment of the Whole Person (250).
