Guide series
Tinnitus, Hearing Loss, and Balance VA Claims: Complete Guide Series
Plain-English guides to tinnitus, hearing loss, vertigo, and Meniere's disease VA disability claims: service connection, the 10 percent maximum under Diagnostic Code 6260, hearing ratings under 38 CFR 4.85, vestibular ratings under 6204 and 6205, and secondary conditions.
Overview
Start here: tinnitus, hearing & balance basics.
Tinnitus and hearing loss are among the most frequently claimed conditions in the VA system, and they raise separate questions: whether noise exposure during service can be connected to a condition diagnosed years later, how each condition is rated, and what happens when tinnitus contributes to other problems.
The guides below work through each question using the VA's own regulations. Start with the overview, then read the guide that matches your situation.
Tinnitus and VA Disability: How Service Connection Works
How the VA decides tinnitus claims: the three elements of service connection, why a normal separation audiogram is not the end of the analysis, and where a medical opinion matters.
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Go deeper on your situation.
7 min readTinnitus VA Ratings Explained: Why 10 Percent Is the Maximum
How Diagnostic Code 6260 works, why bilateral tinnitus does not receive two ratings, and how a 10 percent rating still affects your combined evaluation.
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8 min readHearing Loss VA Ratings: How the Tables Actually Work
How the VA converts an audiogram into a hearing loss percentage under 38 CFR 4.85 and 4.86, what counts as a disability for VA purposes, and why many ratings come out at 0 percent.
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8 min readSecondary Conditions to Tinnitus: What the VA Recognizes
How 38 CFR 3.310 applies when tinnitus causes or aggravates another condition - including sleep disturbance, headaches, and mental health symptoms - and what evidence each pathway needs.
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8 min readWhat Evidence Supports a Tinnitus or Hearing Loss Claim
The records, statements, and medical opinions that carry weight in a tinnitus or hearing loss claim - and the weaknesses that most often lead to a denial.
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8 min readHearing Loss and VA Disability: How Service Connection Works
How the VA decides hearing loss claims: the 38 CFR 3.385 threshold, noise exposure, why a normal separation audiogram is not the end, and where a medical opinion fits.
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7 min readVertigo and Dizziness VA Ratings: Diagnostic Code 6204
How the VA rates peripheral vestibular disorders at 10 and 30 percent, what objective findings are required, and how vertigo interacts with hearing loss and tinnitus ratings.
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7 min readMeniere's Disease VA Ratings: Diagnostic Code 6205
How Diagnostic Code 6205 rates Meniere's syndrome at 30, 60, and 100 percent, the rule against combining it with separate ratings, and what the evidence has to show.
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