In Spain, as in many other countries, if you have a recognized disability, you have the right to access various benefits that can improve your quality of life: deductions from your family income, reduction of personal income tax at work, deductions to purchase a home, plans pensions, discounts on leisure and culture, reduced transport fares, and, for example, a reduction in VAT to 4% on certain products (such as hearing aids).

In addition, if this disability is recognized before the age of 65, in Spain you also have the right to receive a social assistance benefit for people with disabilities (PUA). At Claso, we believe that acquiring a hearing aid should not be an impossible mission, especially since it is an issue that affects the well-being of people, and this benefit helps enormously to mitigate this investment.

Therefore, in this brief article we explain how you can request recognition of your disability. It is completely free but, yes, we warn you that it may take time; between 6 and 8 months, approximately.

Requirements

  • Have at least 33% disability

For official recognition of a disability, and therefore obtain the corresponding card and certificate, as well as access to tax benefits or aid, the percentage of disability must be at least 33%.

  • How much hearing loss do I have to have to reach 33% disability?

The disability is calculated together with whatever pathologies or conditions you live with, not only deafness, but it is possible to request its recognition even if you do not have any other.

Of course, we must be very clear that having a 33% hearing loss is not the same as having a 33% disability. Deafness, or hearing loss, can be expressed in percentage loss, in degree of hearing loss (mild, moderate, severe, profound), or in hearing threshold (at what volume we begin to hear). But, if we talk about percentage, to obtain in Spain a 33% disability just by proving a hearing problem, our "hearing loss percentage" has to be approximately 68.6%.

This value can also vary depending on whether the hearing loss is in one ear or in both. Therefore, it is best to simply follow the following steps if you want to request the degree of disability:

1. Request an appointment at a hearing center to have a complete hearing study performed, or request a visit with an ENT for the same reason. Remember that if you go to private centers, it is normal for this visit or the delivery of the reports to have a cost.

2. Once you have completed your studies, enter the electronic portal of the social affairs department of your autonomous community to start the online process. You can find it by doing a quick google search, typing “request disability recognition” and specifying the community in which you live. Look for that website that you see that belongs to the government. For example, if you live in Madrid:


If you live in Catalonia, where our hearing centers are located, you should go here.

3. Follow the steps indicated on the web. It depends on your autonomous community, the portal will let you choose if you want to carry out the entire process online, or if you prefer to present the documentation in person.

If you have the option, we recommend that you carry out the process online. If you do not have this option, or if you want to do it in person, you must download a form that is provided on the same portal, complete it, and present it together with your hearing studies at the offices indicated.

For example, in Catalonia, the documentation can be presented at the Social Affairs and Family Offices, at Citizen Services of the Department of Social Rights, at the Department of Economy and Finance of Citizen Service of the Administrative District, or others that are listed on the Website. Keep in mind that, to deliver the documentation by hand, it is always advisable (when not mandatory) to make an appointment by calling the offices.

4. Once you have completed the process, you must wait to receive a response from the administration. If your disability is recognized, you will receive an accrediting card and a certificate. With the card it will be enough to access the advantages to which you are entitled as a disabled person in Spain. For example, if you need to buy new hearing aids, your hearing center would make a photocopy of this card at the time of purchase and thus could apply a VAT of 4%.

Finally, you should keep in mind that it is possible that, throughout this process, they will ask you to prove other types of additional documentation that they deem appropriate, or refer you to a medical court to assess your situation. We recommend that you be patient and collaborate with the relevant authorities, to expedite the process and make it as bearable as possible.

We hope we have resolved your doubts about how to carry out this procedure!