LOADING
Tinnitus is rated under DC 6260 at 38 C.F.R. § 4.87. The maximum schedular rating is 10% ($175.03/month). Tinnitus is the #1 most commonly claimed VA disability condition. Per Smith v. Nicholson (2006), a single 10% rating applies regardless of whether tinnitus is in one or both ears.
While 10% seems low, tinnitus is a gateway condition. Its real value is in the secondary conditions it supports — hearing loss, mental health conditions, sleep disturbance, and TBI. A veteran with tinnitus at 10% who successfully claims depression secondary to tinnitus at 50% and insomnia at 10% has a combined rating of 60% ($1,432.71/month) — all stemming from the tinnitus claim.
For combat veterans, service connection for tinnitus is straightforward under 38 U.S.C. § 1154(b). MOS-related noise exposure (infantry, artillery, aviation, armor) is generally conceded by the VA.
Recurrent tinnitus. This is the maximum schedular rating for tinnitus. Per Smith v. Nicholson, 451 F.3d 1344 (Fed. Cir. 2006), a single 10% rating applies regardless of whether tinnitus is bilateral or unilateral.
Under 38 C.F.R. § 3.310 — This is where tinnitus becomes valuable