Yes, you can get VA disability compensation for both hearing loss and tinnitus, and these are among the most commonly awarded service-connected conditions in the VA system. Tinnitus currently pays a flat 10% rating ($180.42 per month in 2025), while hearing loss ratings range from 0% to 100% depending on how much measurable hearing you’ve lost. You can receive both ratings simultaneously, though proposed rule changes may affect how tinnitus is compensated in the future.
What Qualifies as a Hearing Loss Disability
The VA uses a specific medical threshold to determine whether your hearing loss counts as a disability. Your hearing is considered impaired when any of the tested frequencies (500, 1000, 2000, 3000, or 4000 Hz) shows a hearing threshold of 40 decibels or higher. You also qualify if at least three of those frequencies measure 26 decibels or higher, or if your speech recognition score falls below 94%. Meeting any one of these criteria is enough.
Qualifying as impaired, however, doesn’t guarantee a compensable rating. Many veterans with measurable hearing loss still receive a 0% rating, which means the VA acknowledges the condition is service-connected but considers it too mild to warrant monthly payments. A 0% rating still matters: it opens the door to VA healthcare for that condition and establishes a baseline if your hearing worsens later.
How the VA Rates Hearing Loss
Hearing loss ratings are entirely formula-driven. Unlike many other VA conditions where a doctor’s opinion influences the rating, hearing loss is calculated from two test results: your pure tone threshold averages (the average of your hearing levels at 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz) and your speech discrimination score on the Maryland CNC word recognition test. The VA plugs these numbers into a table that assigns each ear a Roman numeral from I (best) to XI (worst). A second table then cross-references the designations for both ears to produce your percentage rating.
This mechanical process means the rating depends entirely on how you perform on two specific tests on your exam day. If only one ear is service-connected, the VA assigns the non-service-connected ear a designation of I (normal) for calculation purposes, which typically results in a lower overall rating. Because of how the tables are structured, most veterans with mild to moderate hearing loss land at 0% or 10%. Ratings above 20% generally require severe loss in both ears.
How Tinnitus Is Rated
Tinnitus, the persistent ringing, buzzing, or hissing sound in your ears, is rated under Diagnostic Code 6260. The maximum schedular rating is 10%, which pays $180.42 per month in 2025. That 10% applies whether you hear the sound in one ear, both ears, or inside your head. You cannot receive separate ratings for each ear.
To establish service connection, you need to show that your tinnitus is linked to military service. Noise exposure from weapons fire, aircraft, heavy machinery, or other loud environments is the most common basis. Tinnitus is often easier to get service-connected than hearing loss because it’s a subjective symptom: there’s no audiological test that can definitively prove or disprove it. Your description of the condition, your military occupational specialty, and any supporting medical records carry significant weight.
The C&P Exam Process
To get rated for either condition, you’ll need a Compensation and Pension (C&P) audiology exam. This must be conducted by a state-licensed audiologist in a sound-isolated booth that meets national standards for ambient noise. The exam includes pure tone testing across multiple frequencies in both ears, the Maryland CNC speech recognition test (a 50-word recorded list), tympanometry, and acoustic reflex testing.
A few things to know going in. The exam is conducted without hearing aids, so your results reflect your unaided hearing. The Maryland CNC test is the only speech recognition test the VA accepts for rating purposes, so private audiograms using different word lists won’t count. If you’ve had hearing tests from outside providers, they can support your claim, but the C&P exam results are what the VA uses to calculate your rating.
During the exam, the audiologist will also ask about your tinnitus: when it started, how often it occurs, and how it affects your daily life. Be specific and honest. “Recurrent” tinnitus is the key qualifier, so make sure you describe the pattern clearly if your tinnitus comes and goes rather than being constant.
Claiming Both Conditions Together
You can and should file for both hearing loss and tinnitus in the same claim if you experience both. They are rated as separate conditions with separate diagnostic codes, and their ratings combine under the VA’s combined rating formula. A veteran with 10% for tinnitus and 10% for hearing loss would receive a combined rating of 19%, rounded to 20%, which pays $356.66 per month.
Filing them together also strengthens each claim. A documented hearing loss makes your tinnitus claim more credible, and vice versa. If your hearing loss tests come back at 0% but you have tinnitus, the tinnitus claim can still succeed on its own.
Proposed Changes to Tinnitus Ratings
The VA has proposed eliminating the standalone diagnostic code for tinnitus entirely. Under the proposed framework, tinnitus would no longer be rated as its own condition but would instead be folded into the rating for whatever underlying condition causes it, such as hearing loss, vestibular disorders, or traumatic brain injury. The VA’s reasoning is that tinnitus is a symptom rather than a disease, and rating it separately leads to duplicative compensation.
Under the proposed rules, a 10% tinnitus rating would only be allowed when it accompanies hearing loss that is itself rated at 0% (noncompensable). If your hearing loss already receives a compensable rating, you would not get an additional tinnitus rating on top of it. These changes are not yet finalized, and veterans who already hold a tinnitus rating would likely be protected under existing rules. But if you’re considering filing, doing so before any rule change takes effect could matter.
Secondary Conditions Worth Knowing About
Tinnitus and hearing loss can serve as a gateway to additional disability compensation through secondary service connection. Research on veterans with tinnitus has found that roughly 79% also had an anxiety diagnosis, about 59% had depression, and 58% had both. The lifetime prevalence of depression and anxiety is significantly higher in people with tinnitus than in the general population, and the severity of tinnitus correlates with the severity of these mental health conditions.
If you’re already service-connected for tinnitus and you develop anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, or other mental health conditions that your provider links to the tinnitus, you can file a secondary claim. These secondary ratings are often higher than the tinnitus rating itself. A 30% or 50% mental health rating combined with a 10% tinnitus rating significantly increases your total compensation. PTSD is another condition frequently seen alongside tinnitus in veterans, though establishing that connection requires its own evidence.
The practical takeaway: don’t think of a 10% tinnitus rating as the ceiling. It can be the foundation for a larger combined rating when you account for the full impact these conditions have on your mental health and daily functioning.