Tinnitus C&P Exam | VetOps AI

Inside the exam room

1. You will be asked what the sound is like, when it started, and whether it comes and goes. Say which ear or ears are affected and whether the noise is constant.

2. You will be asked about noise exposure, hearing protection, treatment, and hearing problems. Describe noise during and after service.

3. You will be asked how the noise affects daily life. Explain effects on sleep, concentration, and conversations, and what helps.

How VA rates tinnitus

Describe ringing or other recurring noise that others cannot hear, when it happens, and how it affects you. The listed percentage is the same for one ear, both ears, or the head. DC 6260 provides a single 10% evaluation for recurrent tinnitus, whether perceived in one ear, both ears, or the head. Severity and noise exposure do not create a higher schedular percentage under this code. Service connection is a separate determination.

What each rating percentage means

Match the whole description with your exam and records. A single symptom or illustration does not decide your rating.

Rating	What the rule requires
10%	Recurrent tinnitus; one evaluation whether perceived in one ear, both ears, or the head.

Check these details in your records

The examiner uses a condition form called a Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ). Compare these items with your own records and explain what actually happens in daily life.

Recurrent tinnitus.10%Compare the whole description with your medical records. Choosing it here does not decide your VA rating.

What may happen in the exam room

Describe the sound, when it started, how often it returns, and loud noise you were exposed to.
A hearing specialist may check any hearing problems.

What the measurements tell you

Whether the ringing or other sound keeps coming back.
Reported location and effects on daily life.
Whether a health care provider finds a cause, including a sound other people can hear (objective tinnitus).

Questions the examiner may cover

When did you first notice the sound?
Does the sound keep coming back, and where do you hear it?
What noise exposure and hearing protection do your records document?

Questions to expect

When did the noise begin, and is it recurrent?

Explain: Describe the sound, one or both ears, frequency, approximate onset, noise exposure and sleep or concentration effects.

Rating connection: DC 6260 provides one 10% rating for recurrent tinnitus, whether perceived in one ear, both ears or the head. Greater loudness does not create a higher rating under that code.

Are hearing difficulties also documented?

Explain: Identify hearing tests and communication problems separately from ringing.

Rating connection: Hearing loss uses its own audiology test rules; a tinnitus description cannot substitute for them.

Your answer outline

I first remember noticing [sound] around [date or approximate period]. I hear it in [where you perceive it] [frequency and duration]. It affects [activity] by [specific effect]. [What helps, if anything].

Mark approximate dates and counts as estimates.

My notes: ________________________

Service connection records

1. How is this connected to your service?

For a direct claim, identify your current disability, what happened in service, and evidence linking them. Being on active duty or orders alone does not prove that link.

Write the 5 Ws and how: who was there; what happened; when; where; why you were there; how the problem began. Add duty status, treatment, witnesses, and records. Mark uncertain dates as estimates.
Guard or Reserve: find your orders, dates, duty type, and any line-of-duty records. Active duty, training, and drills have different rules.
Secondary condition: it may start after service. Identify the service-connected condition and evidence that it caused or worsened this problem. A medical opinion may help explain the link.
Started before service? Record what changed during service. Presumptive condition? Check the required diagnosis and service history; qualifying claims do not require separate proof of a link.
Already service connected and seeking an increase? Focus on what has worsened and the records showing it.

If you do not know the cause, say so. Do not guess a medical connection.

Explain what changes in daily life

Describe both what you can do and what becomes difficult. Include how often it happens and how long it lasts.

Describe the sound, how often it returns, and practical effect on concentration or sleep in your own words.
Distinguish what you experienced from an assumed medical cause.

Records to get ready before the exam

Audiology records.
When you were exposed to loud noise during service or at work.
Statements about when it started and whether it continues when available.

Preparation notes

Noise exposure is evidence to review, not automatic service connection.
Objective tinnitus audible to others is evaluated as part of its underlying condition, not under DC 6260.

Official rating rule and code numbers

Use this source to check the full rule and its medical terms: 38 CFR 4.87, DC 6260. Source review recorded 2026-09-04.

Could one health problem have caused another?

A condition VA has already linked to your service may cause another health problem or make it worse. VA calls this secondary service connection. Having both conditions does not prove the link. Your records need to show a current diagnosis and explain how the first condition or its treatment affected the second.

Start with your records. Find the current diagnosis, the condition VA already linked to service, and evidence from someone qualified to explain the connection.
Ask about cause and worsening. Did the first condition or its treatment cause the new disability, or make an existing disability worse? These are different questions. The rules call them causation under 38 CFR § 3.310(a) and aggravation under § 3.310(b). If both are raised by your records, the medical opinion should address both; answering only the cause question may not be enough (El-Amin).
If treatment may be involved, collect the dates. List the medicine or surgery prescribed for the condition VA linked to service, the side effect, and the new diagnosis. Bring pharmacy records and dates when treatment started or stopped. A provider must explain the connection in your case; taking a medicine alone does not prove it.
If weight gain may be involved, ask how it fits. Weight gain or obesity can be a step between the first condition and another diagnosed disability under VAOPGCPREC 1-2017. Obesity itself does not receive a VA disability rating.
You do not need absolute certainty. VA uses the “at least as likely as not” standard and the reasonable-doubt rule under 38 CFR § 3.102. Ask a VA-accredited representative how the evidence applies to your claim.
The same symptom cannot be counted twice. This is the rule against pyramiding in 38 CFR § 4.14. Mental-health diagnoses generally share one § 4.130 rating when they affect the same work and social abilities. Trouble sleeping may be a symptom rather than a separate disability.
Check whether VA already assumes a link to service. Some conditions qualify based on where or when you served. These are called presumptive conditions. Examples can include chronic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, hypertension after qualifying herbicide exposure, and type 2 diabetes. Sleep apnea (OSA) is not a PACT Act presumptive. Check eligibility before seeking a medical opinion about the link.
An exam form and a medical opinion do different jobs. A Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) records the diagnosis and how severe it is. It may not explain why it is linked to service, often called a nexus. A VA-accredited veterans service organization (VSO) can help you file at no charge.

If another prescribed treatment may have caused a problem, ask your health care provider to record what happened and explain the connection in your case.

Sources: 38 CFR § 3.310 · 38 CFR § 4.14 · VA-accredited representatives

C&P exam for tinnitus: what to expect and how VA rates it.