Tinnitus: the 10% rating, and the conditions it can lead to

Tinnitus is the most commonly service-connected condition in the VA system, and for good reason: gunfire, aircraft, generators, vehicles and blasts are part of military life. But the rating itself is small, and many veterans stop there. The more important question is often what the tinnitus has led to.

How tinnitus is rated

Recurrent tinnitus is rated at 10% under Diagnostic Code 6260 in 38 CFR § 4.87. That is the maximum, and it's a single rating whether you hear it in one ear, both ears, or in your head. Hearing loss is rated separately, by audiometric testing, and is often rated low even when it causes real problems.

The evidence for tinnitus itself

• Your own account counts. Tinnitus is something only you can perceive, so your statement about when it started and how it affects you is competent evidence.
• Noise exposure in service. Your MOS or rating, deployments, weapons qualification and duty assignments help show exposure.
• A current diagnosis from an audiology exam or a physician.

What tinnitus can lead to

Constant ringing isn't just an annoyance. Depending on the record, tinnitus can cause or aggravate other conditions that are rated on their own and often worth far more than 10%:

• Anxiety and depression. Chronic tinnitus is associated with psychological distress, and a mental health condition can be service connected secondary to it.
• Sleep disturbance. Many veterans have trouble falling or staying asleep because of it, which feeds into mood, concentration and headaches.
• Headaches and migraines. Headaches that track with tinnitus can be claimed secondarily. How VA rates migraines.

Each of these needs its own diagnosis and a medical opinion explaining how the tinnitus caused or worsened it. That's the kind of opinion NEXUS Ready writes. See how secondary service connection works.

References

1. 38 CFR § 4.87, Diagnostic Code 6260 (tinnitus, recurrent), including Note (2). LII
2. Smith v. Nicholson, 451 F.3d 1344 (Fed. Cir. 2006): a single 10% rating for tinnitus, whether in one or both ears.
3. Charles v. Principi, 16 Vet. App. 370 (2002): tinnitus is capable of lay observation.
4. 38 CFR § 3.310, secondary service connection. LII
5. Proposed rule, Schedule for Rating Disabilities: The Respiratory System; Ear, Nose, and Throat; and Audiology. Federal Register, Feb. 15, 2022 (FR Doc. 2022-02049).

This article is general information, not medical or legal advice. Every claim depends on its own record.