Reference: 38 CFR 4.87

Tinnitus: Evidence & DBQ

What documentation clarifies the criteria

Evidence

Evidence that may clarify the published criteria

Audiology or ENT diagnosis and history

Establishes that tinnitus is recurrent (persistent or recurring) and documents onset and duration.

A passing mention of ringing in the ears is not the same as a documented, recurrent finding.

Findings distinguishing subjective from objective tinnitus

Helps establish whether tinnitus has no identifiable physical cause (subjective, rated under DC 6260) or a definable physical cause (objective, rated under the underlying condition instead).

RatingScope does not infer which route applies without a documented finding either way.

Hearing and related ear condition records

Relevant when tinnitus co-occurs with hearing loss or another ear condition, to support a separate, combinable rating where the combination rule allows it.

A hearing-loss diagnosis alone does not establish a separate tinnitus finding, and vice versa.

Personal and firsthand lay evidence

Can describe when tinnitus started, how persistent it is, and its impact on daily life, sleep, and concentration.

Lay evidence can describe observed impact, but it does not change the flat 10 percent rating and does not establish the subjective-versus-objective distinction on its own.

DBQ

What a tinnitus C&P examination typically covers

The official Hearing Loss and Tinnitus DBQ is one of VA's forms not released for public use, so RatingScope describes only the general subject areas a tinnitus-focused C&P exam typically covers, in plain terms, rather than citing the DBQ's specific field text. Describe the actual condition honestly; do not exaggerate, minimize, or rehearse an outcome.

Whether tinnitus is present and recurrent
Onset and duration
Whether the tinnitus is subjective or has an identifiable objective cause
Related hearing or ear-condition findings
Functional impact in the veteran's own words

Preparation

What to have nearby

Recurrence and onset
DC 6260 requires tinnitus to be recurrent (persistent or recurring), not a single resolved episode.
Subjective versus objective routing
Objective tinnitus with an identifiable physical cause is not rated under DC 6260 - it needs to be clear which route applies.
Related hearing or ear-condition records
Relevant if a separate, combinable rating under DC 6100, DC 6200, or DC 6204 may also apply.
Functional impact
Does not change the flat 10 percent rating, but may still be useful context for the overall record.

NextTerminologyPlain-English definitions of the terms used

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Compare a percentage level and combined-rating math, or review evidence context.

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