Hearing Loss VA Disability Rating: Criteria, Evidence & Pay

What is hearing loss and how does it affect veterans?

Hearing loss is one of the most prevalent health conditions among veterans. Years of exposure to gunfire, explosions, aircraft engines, heavy machinery, and other high-decibel noise during military service causes permanent damage to the delicate structures of the inner ear. The VA reports that hearing loss and tinnitus are consistently the two most claimed disability conditions.

The impact goes beyond not hearing well. Hearing loss makes it difficult to follow conversations — especially in noisy environments — leading to social withdrawal and isolation. Veterans with hearing loss often struggle in work settings where communication is essential, experience frustration in personal relationships, and face safety concerns from not hearing alarms, traffic, or warning sounds.

Unlike many conditions, hearing loss typically worsens with age. The damage from military noise exposure may seem manageable at 30 but becomes significantly more disabling at 50 or 60. This is why establishing service connection early matters — even a 0% rating creates the foundation for future increases and guarantees access to VA hearing aids.

VA diagnostic code for hearing loss

Hearing loss is rated under Diagnostic Code (DC) 6100 per 38 CFR § 4.85, Schedule of Ratings — Diseases of the Ear.

Unlike most VA disabilities, hearing loss is rated using a purely mechanical, objective formula. The VA does not consider your subjective experience of hearing difficulty. Instead, your rating is determined entirely by audiometric test results plugged into rating tables. This makes hearing loss one of the most formulaic and predictable — but also sometimes frustrating — conditions to rate.

Rating criteria for hearing loss

Hearing loss ratings are determined through a specific multi-step process, not subjective criteria like most other conditions:

Step 1: Audiometric testing

During your C&P exam, an audiologist measures:

• Puretone thresholds at 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz for each ear
• Speech discrimination scores using the Maryland CNC word list

Step 2: Table VI designation

Your puretone threshold average and speech discrimination score for each ear are plotted on Table VI (or Table VIA for exceptional hearing patterns) to determine a Roman numeral designation (I through XI) for each ear. Level I represents the best hearing; Level XI represents the worst.

Step 3: Table VII rating

The Roman numeral designations for both ears are cross-referenced on Table VII to determine your disability percentage.

Rating levels and monthly payments

Because hearing loss ratings depend on audiometric test results, here are the possible rating percentages and their corresponding 2026 monthly payments:

• 0% — $0/month (service connection established; free hearing aids)
• 10% — $180.42/month
• 20% — $356.66/month
• 30% — $552.47/month
• 40% — $795.84/month
• 50% — $1,132.90/month
• 60% — $1,435.02/month
• 70% — $1,808.45/month
• 80% — $2,102.15/month
• 90% — $2,362.30/month
• 100% — $3,938.58/month

Understanding the practical impact

Most veterans with noise-induced hearing loss receive ratings between 0% and 10%. Higher ratings typically require severe hearing loss in both ears. A veteran with moderate hearing loss in one ear and normal hearing in the other will likely receive 0%, which frustrates many who clearly struggle to hear in daily life.

Exceptional patterns of hearing impairment

Under 38 CFR § 4.86, if your hearing loss meets certain exceptional patterns — puretone thresholds of 55 decibels or more at all four frequencies, or 30 decibels or less at 1000 Hz and 70 decibels or more at 2000 Hz — the VA uses Table VIA instead of Table VI, which can result in a higher designation and thus a higher rating.

What evidence do you need?

Service records

• DD-214 showing an MOS with known noise exposure (infantry, artillery, aviation, armor, combat engineer, etc.)
• In-service audiograms, especially entrance and separation audiograms showing threshold shifts
• Service treatment records mentioning hearing complaints
• Documentation of noise exposure events (proximity to explosions, weapons qualification records)

Medical evidence

• Current audiological evaluation (puretone audiometry and Maryland CNC speech discrimination test)
• Treatment records documenting hearing complaints and hearing aid use
• Records from private audiologists if you’ve sought outside treatment
• Documentation of any ear infections, surgeries, or other ear conditions

Nexus letter

A medical opinion connecting your hearing loss to military noise exposure. The letter should reference your specific noise exposure history, note the shift between entrance and separation audiograms if available, and explain why your hearing loss pattern is consistent with noise-induced damage.

Buddy statements

Statements from fellow service members confirming noise exposure (weapons fired without hearing protection, proximity to explosions, flight line work). Statements from family members who have witnessed your hearing difficulty — needing the TV turned up loud, asking people to repeat themselves, difficulty hearing on the phone.

C&P exam tips for hearing loss

What the examiner evaluates

• Puretone thresholds at 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz in each ear
• Speech discrimination scores using the Maryland CNC word list
• Whether exceptional hearing patterns apply (38 CFR § 4.86)
• The relationship between your hearing loss and military service

How to prepare

1. Avoid loud noise before the exam. Temporary threshold shifts from recent noise exposure can actually make your hearing test differently. Get a normal night’s sleep and avoid loud environments for 24 hours before.
2. Be honest and consistent. Audiologists can detect when someone is exaggerating hearing loss through inconsistent responses. The test includes reliability checks. Fake or inconsistent results can torpedo your claim.
3. Report what you actually hear. When you’re in the sound booth, respond only when you genuinely hear the tone. Don’t guess, and don’t wait until the tone is very loud — respond at the faintest level you can truly detect.
4. Do your best on speech discrimination. The Maryland CNC word list test measures how well you understand spoken words. Try your best — the score is used in the rating formula, and doing poorly on purpose is detectable and harmful to your claim.
5. Describe the functional impact. While the rating is formula-based, tell the examiner how hearing loss affects your daily life. This information goes in the report and can support an extraschedular rating if your case warrants it.

Common secondary conditions linked to hearing loss

Hearing loss is often connected to other conditions:

• Tinnitus — The most directly related condition. If you have hearing loss from noise exposure, you very likely also have tinnitus (and vice versa). Tinnitus is rated separately at 10%.
• Anxiety — Difficulty hearing and communicating causes social anxiety, frustration, and stress. The strain of constantly struggling to hear in conversations and work settings can lead to generalized anxiety disorder.
• Depression — Social isolation from hearing loss is a well-documented risk factor for depression.
• PTSD — While hearing loss doesn’t cause PTSD, the noise exposure events that caused hearing loss (combat, explosions) are often the same events that caused PTSD. Both conditions can be service-connected from the same incidents.
• Vertigo/balance disorders — Damage to the inner ear from noise exposure can affect the vestibular system, causing dizziness and balance problems rated under DC 6204.

How to calculate your monthly payment

Your total VA disability payment depends on your combined rating across all service-connected conditions. Hearing loss combined with tinnitus, PTSD, and other conditions can produce a much higher combined rating than hearing loss alone.

Use our VA disability calculator to:

• Calculate your combined rating with multiple conditions
• See how VA math combines ratings
• Estimate your monthly payment including dependents

For the full breakdown of payment amounts at every rating level, see our 2026 VA disability pay rates page.

Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or medical advice. For personalized guidance on your VA disability claim, consult a VA-accredited Veterans Service Organization (VSO), attorney, or claims agent. You can find accredited representatives at VA.gov.