# Tinnitus rating increase: what can actually change

> There is no tinnitus evaluation above 10% under DC 6260. What can change: a missing separate evaluation, a Meniere's evaluation, and the ratings of the conditions around the tinnitus.

Canonical: https://aivaclaims.com/conditions/tinnitus-va-rating/rating-increase

Last updated: 2026-11-05

Updated November 5, 2026 · By AIVA

A tinnitus increase claim cannot succeed on tinnitus alone: Note (2) to DC 6260 allows a single 10% evaluation whether the sound is in one ear, both ears, or in the head, and no higher line exists. Veterans who feel under-rated for tinnitus usually have a different problem — a separate evaluation that was never assigned, hearing loss that has worsened, or a condition like Meniere's syndrome that should be evaluated another way.

## What’s your situation?

- VA denied my claim: [What to check after a denial](https://aivaclaims.com/guides/va-claim-denied)
- I'm claiming this condition for the first time: [How to file a VA claim for tinnitus](https://aivaclaims.com/conditions/tinnitus-va-rating/how-to-file)
- I have a claim exam coming up: [C&P exam preparation](https://aivaclaims.com/guides/c-and-p-exam-preparation)

## Tinnitus VA rating: a single 10%

| Rating | Criteria — Diagnostic Code 6260, Tinnitus | In plain language | Watch for |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **10%** | Tinnitus, recurrent | Recurrent tinnitus — ringing or another sound that comes back — in one ear, both ears, or in the head. One 10% evaluation is the whole scale. | Note (2) allows a single evaluation however the sound is perceived; there is no higher tinnitus percentage under this code. |

\**Notes from the regulation:**

- Note (1): A separate evaluation for tinnitus may be combined with an evaluation under diagnostic codes 6100, 6200, 6204, or other diagnostic code, except when tinnitus is used in support of an evaluation under any of those diagnostic codes.
- Note (2): Assign only a single evaluation for recurrent tinnitus, whether the sound is perceived in one ear, both ears, or in the head.
- Note (3): Objective tinnitus (in which the sound is audible to other people and has some identifiable cause that may be resolved by surgery or other treatment) is not evaluated under DC 6260, but rather as part of the underlying condition from which it results.

Source: [38 CFR 4.87, Diagnostic Code 6260 — Tinnitus (eCFR)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/part-4/section-4.87)

## [Why the percentage cannot go up](#why-the-percentage-cannot-go-up)

DC 6260's schedule has one line. Filing for an increase and showing worse ringing, louder ringing, or ringing in both ears still meets the same line, because Note (2) fixes a single evaluation however the sound is perceived. An increase claim framed on tinnitus severity alone invites a denial that helps nothing — the productive checks are the ones below.

[38 CFR 4.87, Diagnostic Code 6260 — Tinnitus (eCFR)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/part-4/section-4.87)

## In this series: Tinnitus VA rating

- [Tinnitus VA rating criteria: the DC 6260 notes](https://aivaclaims.com/conditions/tinnitus-va-rating/criteria)

  The full text of Diagnostic Code 6260 — recurrent tinnitus at 10% — and the three regulatory notes that decide how the evaluation combines with other ear ratings.
- [How to file a VA claim for tinnitus](https://aivaclaims.com/conditions/tinnitus-va-rating/how-to-file)

  What to file for tinnitus under DC 6260: the claim itself, the noise-exposure and continuity evidence that carries service connection, and the audiology exam.
- [Tinnitus after a TBI: rating it as its own residual](https://aivaclaims.com/conditions/tinnitus-va-rating/secondary-to-tbi)

  DC 8045 directs that hearing loss and tinnitus after a traumatic brain injury be evaluated under their own diagnostic codes — what that means for a tinnitus claim alongside TBI residuals.

## [What to check instead](#what-to-check-instead)

Four checks cover most genuinely under-rated tinnitus files.

- A missing separate evaluation: Note (1) allows tinnitus to be evaluated separately from hearing loss and other ear conditions, except when tinnitus supported the evaluation under one of those codes. If your decision folded tinnitus away without that reasoning, the separate 10% may still be owed.
- Worsening hearing loss: hearing impairment has its own schedule and its own percentage steps. New audiometric testing showing worse hearing supports an increase for the hearing loss itself.
- Meniere's syndrome (DC 6205): VA evaluates Meniere's either under its own criteria or by separately evaluating vertigo, hearing impairment, and tinnitus — whichever method results in the higher overall evaluation. If your symptoms include vertigo attacks with gait disturbance, ask which method your decision used.
- New related conditions: conditions that have developed or worsened alongside the tinnitus — including residuals of a traumatic brain injury — carry their own evaluations.

[38 CFR 4.87, Diagnostic Code 6260 — Tinnitus (eCFR)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/part-4/section-4.87)

## [If the decision got the notes wrong](#if-the-decision-got-the-notes-wrong)

A denial or a missing evaluation that misapplies Note (1) or Note (2) is a decision error, and the fix is the appeal lane rather than a fresh increase claim: a Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence, or a Higher-Level Review pointing at the note the rater misread. Our denied-claim guide walks through both lanes and their deadlines.

[VA: Choosing a decision review option](https://www.va.gov/resources/choosing-a-decision-review-option/)

## Under-rating check worksheet

Before filing anything, run these checks against your current decision. Each one identifies a change that can actually move the combined rating, unlike an increase claim aimed at the tinnitus percentage itself.

- Confirm whether a separate 10% tinnitus evaluation appears in your current decision
- Get current audiometric testing if your hearing has worsened
- List any vertigo attacks or gait problems alongside the tinnitus and hearing loss
- List conditions that have developed or worsened since the decision
- Note the decision date — review deadlines run from it

## Related help

- [The DC 6260 criteria and notes](https://aivaclaims.com/conditions/tinnitus-va-rating/criteria)
- [Tinnitus after a TBI](https://aivaclaims.com/conditions/tinnitus-va-rating/secondary-to-tbi)
- [Denied VA claim: your options](https://aivaclaims.com/guides/va-claim-denied)

## Check your likely claim paths

Answer a few taps in AIVA's pre-eligibility check and see the paths that may fit your situation, before you decide anything.

[Start the pre-eligibility check](https://aivaclaims.com/check)

This educational series reproduces and explains the linked regulation and VA sources. It is not an individual legal or medical assessment, and it does not predict a rating. For representation or help with your claim, [find VA-accredited assistance](https://www.va.gov/get-help-from-accredited-representative/). Check the current VA instructions and your own decision letter before filing.