Under 38 CFR § 4.87, Diagnostic Code 6260, the VA assigns tinnitus a flat 10% disability rating, and that is the only compensable rating available for the condition. The rating applies whether you hear ringing in one ear, both ears, or inside your head, and it does not increase with severity. At the current rate, 10% pays $180.42 per month, with no additional amount for dependents. Tinnitus is the most common service-connected disability in the VA system, with more than 2.3 million veterans compensated for it. The 10% ceiling frustrates veterans whose ringing is constant and disruptive, but the rating still carries real value: it establishes service connection, contributes to your combined rating, and opens the door to secondary claims that can pay far more than tinnitus itself.
Why the Rating Is Capped at 10%
Diagnostic Code 6260 provides exactly one compensable rating: 10% for recurrent tinnitus. There is no 20%, no 30%, and no schedular path to a higher rating for tinnitus standing alone. The VA’s rationale is that tinnitus is entirely subjective. No test measures how loud the ringing sounds or how much it interferes with your life, and the rating schedule is built around measurable impairment in earning capacity. For a condition that cannot be externally measured, the VA settled on a flat rate.
Note 2 under DC 6260 spells out the other half of the ceiling: only a single evaluation is assigned whether tinnitus is perceived in one ear, both ears, or in the head. Veterans sometimes assume bilateral tinnitus should pay double. It does not.
Combining Tinnitus With Hearing Loss and Related Conditions
Tinnitus and hearing loss often occur together, and the VA allows separate ratings for both. Note 1 under DC 6260 states that a tinnitus evaluation may be combined with a rating under Diagnostic Code 6100 (hearing loss), DC 6200 (chronic ear infections), DC 6204 (peripheral vestibular disorders), or other diagnostic codes, unless tinnitus is already being used to support a rating under one of those codes. You cannot double-count tinnitus, but you can be rated for both tinnitus and a distinct auditory condition.
That distinction matters because 38 CFR § 4.14 prohibits rating the same symptoms under multiple diagnostic codes. Tinnitus and hearing loss are recognized as separate disabilities with separate symptoms, so a veteran with moderate bilateral hearing loss rated at 10% under DC 6100 and recurrent tinnitus rated at 10% under DC 6260 gets both in the combined calculation. With a vestibular condition like Meniere’s disease, the VA lets you choose whether to rate the condition as a package or break it into separate evaluations for vertigo, hearing loss, and tinnitus, whichever produces the higher combined rating.
Secondary Conditions That Raise Your Overall Compensation
The real leverage in a tinnitus claim usually comes from secondary conditions. Under 38 CFR § 3.310, a disability caused or worsened by a service-connected condition qualifies for its own rating. Unlike tinnitus itself, these secondary conditions can be rated on a variable scale.
Anxiety, Depression, and Other Mental Health Conditions
The constant perception of noise that nobody else can hear takes a psychological toll. Anxiety, depression, and irritability are among the most commonly claimed secondary conditions linked to tinnitus. Mental health conditions are rated under the VA’s general rating formula for mental disorders at 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, or 100% depending on occupational and social impairment. A veteran whose tinnitus triggers severe anxiety that interferes with work and relationships can receive a 50% or higher mental health rating on top of the 10% tinnitus rating.
Migraine Headaches
Medical literature supports a connection between tinnitus and migraines, and the Board of Veterans’ Appeals has granted migraines as secondary to tinnitus. One successful appeal cited research showing that tinnitus patients with comorbid headaches demonstrate increased amplification of sensory signals, with a treating physician opining that recurrent migraines were more likely than not caused by ongoing tinnitus. Migraines are rated under DC 8100 and can reach 50% for very frequent, completely prostrating attacks that produce severe economic impact.
Sleep Apnea and Sleep Disturbance
Sleep disruption is one of the most common complaints among tinnitus sufferers. A 2023 Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision noted that 71% of tinnitus patients report sleep problems and that a significant percentage suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. The Board granted service connection for sleep apnea secondary to tinnitus in that case. Sleep apnea carries ratings of 0%, 30%, 50%, or 100%, making it one of the higher-value secondary claims.
Any secondary claim needs a medical opinion explaining the causal link between your tinnitus and the second condition. A generic statement that the two “could be related” usually will not survive VA review. The strongest nexus opinions cite specific medical literature and explain the biological mechanism.
Proving Service Connection
Before the VA assigns any rating, you have to prove your tinnitus is connected to service. Three elements must be present: a current diagnosis of recurrent tinnitus, an in-service event that could have caused or worsened the condition, and a medical opinion linking the two. Miss any one and the claim gets denied before it reaches a rating decision.
The in-service event is usually noise exposure: gunfire, explosions, engine noise, flight-line operations, or heavy machinery. Ototoxic medications are another recognized path. Anti-inflammatory drugs like naproxen, some antibiotics, and chemotherapy agents can trigger tinnitus, and the Board has granted claims where a veteran developed ringing shortly after starting a medication prescribed for another service-connected condition.
The medical link, often called a nexus, needs to come from a qualified professional and should state that your tinnitus is “at least as likely as not” connected to your service. A conclusory opinion is not enough. The examiner or private clinician should explain the reasoning.
The Duty MOS Noise Exposure Listing
The VA maintains a Duty MOS Noise Exposure Listing that assigns every military occupational specialty a probability of hazardous noise exposure: high, moderate, or low. If your MOS lands in the high or moderate category, the VA should concede in-service noise exposure. Infantry, artillery, aviation mechanics, and combat engineers typically appear in the high-probability category. A moderate rating still works in your favor because it satisfies the in-service event requirement without additional proof.
Combat Service and Lay Evidence
Combat veterans get an extra advantage. Federal law requires the VA to accept lay evidence of an in-service injury or disease if that evidence is consistent with the circumstances of combat, even without official documentation. If you served in a combat zone and report acoustic trauma from explosions or gunfire, the VA cannot reject the claim just because your service records don’t mention a specific incident.
Because tinnitus is something only you can perceive, your own statements about onset and continuity carry real weight. The VA accepts lay evidence, including buddy statements on VA Form 21-10210, from people who can corroborate your account. A spouse who remembers you complaining about ringing after a deployment, or a fellow service member who witnessed the same noise exposure, can support the timeline.
What Happens at the C&P Exam
After you file, the VA schedules a Compensation and Pension exam, usually with a state-licensed audiologist. The exam includes pure tone audiometry, speech recognition testing, and tympanometry. The examiner will ask when your tinnitus started, how often it occurs, and where you perceive it. If hearing loss is also present, the examiner must indicate whether the tinnitus is likely a symptom of that hearing loss.
Consistency matters. The examiner compares what you report during the exam with your medical records and claim documents. Describe your symptoms honestly and in specifics, including how the ringing affects your sleep, concentration, and daily activities. Vague or inconsistent answers give examiners reason to write an unfavorable opinion.
Filing the Claim
You file a tinnitus claim using VA Form 21-526EZ, available at va.gov after signing in with Login.gov or ID.me. Starting the application automatically establishes an intent to file, which reserves your effective date. You then have one year to complete and submit.
Submit everything that supports the claim: service treatment records showing noise exposure, audiological evaluations, a nexus letter, buddy statements, and documentation of your MOS and its noise exposure probability. The stronger the initial package, the less likely the VA is to order additional development that delays the decision.
A Veterans Service Organization or accredited claims agent can help you gather evidence and fill out forms at no cost. You can find an accredited representative through the VA or by calling 800-827-1000.
If Your Claim Is Denied
Tinnitus claims get denied regularly, often because the C&P examiner writes a negative nexus opinion or the service records lack documented noise exposure. You have three decision review options, and one year from the date on the decision letter to use the first two.
- Supplemental Claim: for new and relevant evidence the VA has not seen, such as a private nexus opinion contradicting the C&P examiner or newly obtained service records.
- Higher-Level Review: for cases where you believe the VA made an error on the existing record. A senior reviewer takes another look but cannot consider new evidence.
- Board Appeal: a Veterans Law Judge at the Board of Veterans’ Appeals reviews the case. You can choose direct review, submit additional evidence, or request a hearing.
If you miss the one-year window for a Higher-Level Review or Board Appeal, you can still file a Supplemental Claim at any time with new and relevant evidence. The most common path for denied tinnitus claims is a Supplemental Claim built around a stronger private nexus opinion that directly addresses whatever weakness the original examiner identified.
Proposed Elimination of Diagnostic Code 6260
The VA has proposed eliminating DC 6260. Under the proposed rule, tinnitus would no longer receive a standalone rating and would instead be evaluated as a symptom of the underlying condition that caused it, such as hearing loss, a vestibular disorder, or traumatic brain injury. The VA’s stated rationale is that compensating tinnitus separately results in duplicative compensation when the underlying condition is already rated. A narrow exception would preserve a 10% evaluation for veterans whose accompanying hearing loss is too mild to be compensable on its own.
As of early 2026, this is still a proposal. The current schedule still lists DC 6260 with the 10% rating intact. The VA published the proposed rule in 2022 and has been reviewing public comments, but no final rule has been issued and no effective date has been set. Veterans filing tinnitus claims now are evaluated under the existing framework. If the rule is finalized, veterans with existing ratings would likely be protected under the VA’s general policy against reducing ratings without evidence of improvement, but the details would depend on the final rule.