Hearing Loss — VA Disability Rating & Claim Guide
This is not legal or medical advice. Always consult with a VSO or accredited claims agent.
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The DBQ for Hearing Loss
Your C&P examiner fills out DBQ 21-0960N-5 (Hearing Loss and Tinnitus) — the form that decides your rating. You can have your own doctor complete the same DBQ and submit it as evidence.
What the examiner measures
- Puretone thresholds (in decibels) at 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz — the 1000–4000 Hz average drives the rating
- Maryland CNC controlled speech-recognition score (percent), required under 38 CFR 4.85
- Combining puretone average + speech score via Table VI to get a Roman-numeral designation for each ear
- Exceptional patterns (38 CFR 4.86): 55 dB+ at all four frequencies, or 30 dB or less at 1000 Hz with 70 dB+ at 2000 Hz
- Whether test results are valid and consistent with the examination
Have a C&P exam coming up? See exactly what the examiner will ask about Hearing Loss — and how to describe it.
Prep →2026 Compensation Rates
Monthly compensation for Hearing Loss, based on your overall combined VA disability rating.
| Rating | Monthly (Alone) | Monthly (w/ Spouse) | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 | — | $2,165.04 |
| 20% | $356.66 | — | $4,279.92 |
| 30% | $552.47 | $617.47 | $6,629.64 |
| 40% | $795.84 | $882.84 | $9,550.08 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 | $1,241.90 | $13,594.80 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 | $1,566.02 | $17,220.24 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 | $1,961.45 | $21,701.40 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 | $2,277.15 | $25,225.80 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 | $2,559.30 | $28,347.60 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 | $4,158.17 | $47,262.96 |
Common Symptoms
Document these symptoms in your claim. The more thoroughly you describe how they affect your daily life, the stronger your claim.
Functional Limitations
VA rates disabilities based on how they limit your ability to function. Describe these limitations in your personal statement.
Rating Criteria for Hearing Loss
Rating schedule under 38 CFR 4.85 and 4.86, DC 6100 (hearing impairment). Rating is determined by audiometric tables, not a fixed symptom ladder.. Criteria are simplified summaries; your specific rating depends on severity documented in your C&P exam.
The evaluation is set by mapping the puretone threshold average (1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 Hz) and the Maryland CNC speech discrimination score for each ear to a Roman numeral on Table VI or VIa, then combining both ears on Table VII. Many service-connected hearing losses evaluate at 0 percent. Intermediate evaluations between 0 and 100 percent are determined solely by the table intersection and cannot be expressed as a symptom-based ladder.
The maximum 100-percent evaluation requires the poorest hearing impairment (Roman numeral Level XI) in both ears under Table VII.
Verified against 38 CFR Part 4, the official VA rating schedule. Reviewed July 2026.
Will adding Hearing Loss raise your rating?
Enter your current combined rating and the level this condition would rate at. We'll do the VA math.
New combined
100%
New monthly
$3,939
Change
+$3,939
Rates shown are the 2026 veteran-alone amounts (no dependents). VA combines ratings with "whole-person" math and rounds to the nearest 10, so adding a condition does not simply add its percentage. Full combined-rating calculator with dependents →
Peer-Reviewed Medical Evidence
Real, verified studies from PubMed/NIH that support a Hearing Loss claim. Bring these citations to your accredited VSO or C&P exam — they help show your condition is recognized in the medical literature and, where noted, linked to other service-connected conditions.
- Noise Outcomes in Servicemembers Epidemiology (NOISE) Study: Design, Methods, and Baseline ResultsDirect
Ear and Hearing, 2021 · PMID 33974792
Finding: In 690 active-duty Service members and recently separated Veterans, baseline hearing loss prevalence was 8% at low frequencies, 20% at high frequencies (3-8 kHz), and 39% at extended high frequencies (9-16 kHz), and tinnitus prevalence was 53%; both hearing loss and tinnitus were more prevalent among those with more years of service, greater noise exposure, and blast or TBI exposure.
Why it helps: Supports an association between military noise/blast exposure and both hearing loss and tinnitus, documenting high baseline prevalence in a dedicated active-duty and Veteran cohort.
Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 2024 · PMID 38984918
Finding: Among NOISE study participants, blast-exposed active-duty Service members had increased odds of high-frequency (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.3-4.7) and extended-high-frequency (OR 3.7, 95% CI 1.9-7.0) hearing loss, and both Service members and Veterans with blast exposure were more likely to report hearing difficulty on the HHIA (OR 1.9 and OR 2.1, respectively).
Why it helps: Supports an association between military blast exposure and measurable high-frequency hearing loss as well as self-reported hearing difficulty in both active-duty and Veteran populations.
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 2021 · PMID 34582257
Finding: Using NOISE baseline data (n=477), blast-exposed participants had roughly twice the prevalence of self-reported hearing difficulty compared with non-exposed participants, with about 41% of that association mediated through probable PTSD, even among those with audiometrically normal hearing.
Why it helps: Supports an association between military blast exposure and functional hearing difficulty even when the audiogram is normal, which is relevant to claims where standard testing appears within normal limits.
Ear and Hearing, 2024 · PMID 37599415
Finding: Blast-exposed Service members with functional hearing and communication deficits performed significantly worse than non-exposed controls on peripheral and subcortical auditory-processing measures and showed degraded neural encoding of sound (e.g., reduced envelope-following response amplitude and response stability), despite normal to near-normal audiometric thresholds.
Why it helps: Supports an association between military blast exposure and underlying auditory-processing deficits, offering a physiological basis for hearing difficulty that may not appear on a routine pure-tone audiogram.
Ear and Hearing, 2022 · nexus to tinnitus · PMID 35612496
Finding: Among 758,005 Million Veteran Program participants, Veterans with hearing loss were 4.15 times as likely to have tinnitus (95% CI 4.12-4.15); tinnitus was more strongly linked to military exposures such as TBI (RR 1.73) and daily combat noise (RR 1.17) than to age, and new-onset tinnitus in those over 40 predicted later hearing loss approaching 100%.
Why it helps: Supports the strong comorbid association between hearing loss and tinnitus in Veterans and indicates tinnitus and hearing loss often share a common noise/blast etiology, relevant to claims linking the two conditions.
Military Medicine, 2019 · nexus to tinnitus · PMID 30793178
Finding: In 2,600 Marines assessed before and after combat deployment, hearing loss predicted tinnitus progression, with odds ratios of 1.94 for low-frequency loss, 3.01 for high-frequency loss, and 5.73 for combined low- and high-frequency loss; blast TBI (OR 2.01) and partial PTSD (OR 2.39) also raised the risk.
Why it helps: Supports an association in which hearing loss is linked to the onset and worsening of tinnitus in combat-deployed Service members, relevant to claims connecting hearing loss and tinnitus.
International Journal of Audiology, 2023 · nexus to tinnitus · PMID 35819808
Finding: Across 283 Service members and 390 Veterans, the presence and perceived severity of tinnitus, poorer low-frequency hearing thresholds, and subjective hearing difficulties were each significantly associated with poorer functional status after adjusting for confounders.
Why it helps: Supports that co-occurring tinnitus and hearing loss meaningfully reduce day-to-day functioning in Service members and Veterans, relevant to documenting the combined impact of the two conditions.
Otology & Neurotology, 2024 · nexus to traumatic brain injury (TBI) · PMID 38361292
Finding: In the NOISE study (473 active-duty Service members, 502 Veterans), military TBI was associated with poorer pure-tone thresholds across all frequency ranges in Veterans (e.g., adjusted mean difference up to 5.1 dB) and greater odds of self-reported hearing difficulty (active-duty OR 5.7; Veterans OR up to 4.5).
Why it helps: Supports an association between service-related traumatic brain injury and both measured hearing loss and self-reported hearing difficulty, relevant to claims where hearing loss is linked to a military TBI.
Every citation is real and verified against PubMed. This is general information, not medical or legal advice — your accredited VSO or representative can advise on your specific claim.
Evidence Checklist
Gather these types of evidence before filing your claim. The strongest claims include multiple evidence types.
Common Treatments
Documenting ongoing treatment strengthens your claim and supports higher ratings.
Secondary Conditions Linked to Hearing Loss
These conditions are commonly claimed as secondary to Hearing Loss. A secondary condition can increase your overall combined rating and monthly compensation.
Tinnitus
Nexus strength: strong· Commonly granted
Depression
Nexus strength: moderate· Commonly granted
Anxiety
Nexus strength: moderate· Commonly granted
Meniere's Disease
Nexus strength: strong· Commonly granted
Vertigo
Nexus strength: moderate· Commonly granted
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Related Guides
Hearing Loss as a Secondary Condition
Hearing Loss is commonly claimed secondary to these primary conditions:
Filing a Hearing Lossclaim? Don't skip these.
Most veterans filing for Hearing Loss should also be looking at:
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Draft your Hearing Loss personal statement
7-step wizard that builds your VA claim personal statement using your own words. Detects presumptive eligibility, cites 38 CFR + DBQ, includes federal-crime disclosure. You review and edit before filing.
Start draftingNot legal or medical advice. Always have a VSO or accredited rep review before filing.
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Secondary Condition Claim Guides
Detailed guides on claiming each secondary condition linked to Hearing Loss.
Hearing Loss Claim Guide by State
Find state-specific VA facilities, veteran benefits, and filing resources.
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Educational content, not professional advice
This article is published by Military Transition Toolkit for educational and planning purposes. It is not legal, medical, or financial advice. VA rating criteria, benefits, and regulations change — verify anything benefits-affecting against VA.gov, 38 CFR Part 4, or a VA-accredited representative (VSO, agent, or attorney) before filing.
MTT is a veteran-owned planning tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, or any military branch.