VA math → how VA rates tinnitus
How VA rates tinnitus
VA rates recurrent tinnitus at a single 10 percent under diagnostic code 6260. That is the only level the code provides, and it is one evaluation whether you hear the ringing in one ear, both ears, or in your head.
What the rating schedule says
How the regulation is applied
One evaluation, not one per ear
The rating schedule says to assign only a single evaluation for recurrent tinnitus, whether the sound is perceived in one ear, both ears, or in the head (38 CFR 4.87, Note 2). A common misunderstanding is that two ears means two 10 percent ratings; the regulation states it is one.
It can combine with hearing loss
A separate tinnitus evaluation may be combined with an evaluation for hearing loss or certain ear conditions, except when the tinnitus already supports the evaluation under one of those codes (38 CFR 4.87, Note 1). Combined does not mean added: see how VA combines ratings.
How this combines with your other ratings
VA does not add your ratings together, it combines them by remaining efficiency, so a 10 percent rating rarely changes your combined number as much as simple addition would suggest. See how VA combines ratings, or use the combined-rating calculator.
Related terms
This explains what the rating schedule says. It is educational, not claims assistance: only a VA-accredited representative may help with the preparation, presentation, or prosecution of a claim (38 CFR 14.629). We do not advise how to obtain or increase a rating, and we determine nothing about any specific claim.