How the VA Hearing Loss Rating Grid Works
Unlike most VA conditions rated by symptom severity, hearing loss under DC 6100 is determined by a two-dimensional grid defined in 38 CFR § 4.85. The exact rating depends entirely on your audiological C&P exam results.
Step 1: Your pure tone threshold average (PTTA) across 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz is converted to a Roman numeral from I to XI. Step 2: Your Maryland CNC speech discrimination score (0-100%) is converted to a Roman numeral from I to X. These two Roman numerals are cross-referenced on Table VI (right ear) or Table VIA (left ear) to produce a numeric value per ear. Both ears are then combined on Table VII to produce your final combined percentage. Because the grid determines the rating, not a symptom checklist, your C&P audiologist's test results are the most important factor in your claim.
Typical Rating Levels
The ranges below reflect typical grid outcomes at each rating level. Your actual rating depends on the specific intersection of your test scores on the VA grid, as determined by the C&P examiner.
Criteria: Hearing loss is present and documented, but both the pure tone threshold average and speech discrimination score fall within the non-compensable range on the VA rating grid. Both measures must be significantly impaired before compensation begins.
A 0% rating provides no monthly payment but still establishes service connection. This matters: it preserves your right to claim secondary conditions (such as tinnitus or depression) and allows you to seek an increase if your hearing deteriorates without reopening the original service-connection question.
Criteria: Mild bilateral hearing loss where the grid intersection of pure tone average and speech discrimination score produces the lowest compensable level. Common when speech discrimination is moderately reduced in one or both ears.
The 10% level is the entry point for compensable hearing loss. The exact grid outcome depends on the C&P audiological exam. Veterans at this level should also file separately for tinnitus, which adds a flat 10% under DC 6260 and is rated independently.
Criteria: Moderate bilateral hearing loss with speech discrimination noticeably reduced in both ears. Difficulty following conversations without amplification. Grid outcomes at this level typically reflect meaningful impairment across both test measures.
The 30% level represents the most common compensable rating for veterans with moderate bilateral noise-induced hearing loss. Both the pure tone average and Maryland CNC score must place on the grid at a level that produces this outcome. Veterans at this level frequently benefit from adding tinnitus and any secondary mental health conditions to their combined rating.
Most common compensable level for veterans with moderate bilateral loss
Criteria: Significant bilateral hearing loss with substantial speech discrimination loss in both ears. Hearing aids required for functional communication. Grid values reflect severe impairment on both the pure tone average and CNC measures.
At the 50% level, the veteran has significant difficulty understanding speech even in favorable conditions. The audiological C&P exam will document the specific grid coordinates. Veterans who have reached this level should evaluate whether their combined disability rating (including tinnitus and any secondary conditions) supports a TDIU claim.
Criteria: Total deafness in both ears. No practical ability to hear or understand speech even with amplification. Speech discrimination scores at or near 0% in both ears, producing the maximum grid outcome.
The 100% schedular rating for hearing loss is reserved for total or near-total deafness. Many veterans with severe but not total loss reach 100% effective compensation through TDIU when hearing loss is combined with tinnitus, mental health conditions, and other service-connected disabilities that collectively prevent employment.
How to Service-Connect Hearing Loss
Service connection requires a current diagnosis, an in-service event or exposure, and a medical nexus linking the two. Hearing loss is most commonly connected through three pathways:
Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
In-service noise exposure from weapons, aircraft, heavy equipment, and ship engines is the leading cause of veteran hearing loss. Service treatment records documenting occupational noise exposure support direct service connection. Your MOS (military occupational specialty) is itself evidence of noise exposure infantry, aviation, artillery, and engineering MOSs are well-documented high-noise occupations. You do not need a specific incident report.
Acoustic Trauma
A single exposure to an explosion or extremely loud noise event (IED, artillery discharge, aircraft accident) causes immediate sensorineural damage. C&P examiners look for documentation of the event and audiograms showing the characteristic 4000 Hz notch that indicates noise-induced cochlear damage. A private audiology opinion identifying the 4 kHz notch strengthens this pathway.
Age-Related Loss vs. Service-Connected
The VA may argue that hearing loss is due to aging (presbycusis) rather than service. A private audiology opinion addressing the service-connected component of the total loss, and the documented latency between noise exposure and progressive sensorineural loss, counters this argument. The VA must rate the condition as a whole, including the service-connected contribution, even if aging has also played a role.
What Happens at Your Audiological C&P Exam
The VA will schedule a compensation and pension exam with an audiologist. The exam produces the test scores that determine your grid outcome. For hearing loss, the examiner will typically:
- Conduct pure tone audiometry at 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz in a sound-treated booth
- Administer the Maryland CNC word recognition (speech discrimination) test
- Review your occupational noise exposure history including MOS and duty assignments
- Review any audiograms from service or shortly after separation
- Evaluate tinnitus as a separate ratable condition under DC 6260
Bring any prior audiograms (including in-service hearing tests), documentation of your MOS and duty stations, and any records of noise exposure events. If you are also claiming tinnitus, raise it explicitly at the exam so the examiner evaluates both conditions. They are rated separately and both can pay independently.
Secondary Conditions to Hearing Loss
Once hearing loss is service-connected, you can file secondary claims for conditions it caused or worsened. Each adds its own rating to your combined total.
TinnitusRinging in the ears is almost always claimed alongside hearing loss. Rated separately at a flat 10% under DC 6260. File both claims together. They are independent ratings and both pay separately.
Balance DisordersThe inner ear controls balance. Sensorineural hearing loss frequently co-occurs with vestibular dysfunction. Rated separately under DC 6204 based on frequency and severity of vestibular episodes.
Depression and AnxietyHearing loss causes social isolation, communication difficulty, and depression. Secondary mental health claims are well-supported in the medical literature. Rated on the general mental disorders scale (0-100%).
HyperacusisNoise-damaged ears sometimes become hypersensitive to sound. Rated as part of the ear condition or separately depending on documentation and examiner findings.
Sleep DisordersInability to hear alarms and communication devices at night disrupts sleep and increases safety risk. A secondary connection to sleep disorders is possible with a supporting medical nexus opinion.
SourcesLast reviewed: May 2026
Hearing Loss VA Rating FAQ
How does the VA calculate the hearing loss rating?
The VA uses a two-step grid system. First, each ear's pure tone threshold average (1000-4000 Hz) is converted to a Roman numeral (I-XI). Second, your Maryland CNC speech discrimination score is converted to a Roman numeral (I-X). These two numerals are cross-referenced on Table VI (right ear) or Table VIA (left ear) to produce a numeric value per ear, which are then combined on Table VII to produce your final percentage.
Can I get VA disability for hearing loss from noise exposure?
Yes. Noise-induced hearing loss from military service is one of the most commonly service-connected conditions. Your MOS and duty assignments are considered evidence of noise exposure. You do not need a specific incident documented. Sustained occupational noise exposure is sufficient.
Do I need a hearing aid to get VA disability for hearing loss?
No. You can be rated for hearing loss regardless of whether you use hearing aids. The VA rates the underlying impairment, not whether you use assistive devices. However, if you use VA-provided hearing aids, bring that documentation to your C&P exam.
Should I claim hearing loss and tinnitus together?
Yes, always. Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) is a separate ratable condition under DC 6260 at a flat 10%. Most veterans with noise-induced hearing loss also have tinnitus. File both claims at the same time. They are evaluated independently and both pay separately.
What is the Maryland CNC test?
The Maryland CNC (Consonant-Nucleus-Consonant) test measures your ability to correctly identify spoken words without visual cues. You repeat words played through headphones in a sound booth. Your percentage correct (0-100%) is used alongside your pure tone average on the VA rating grid. Lower scores produce higher ratings.
Can hearing loss be rated at 100%?
Total deafness in both ears can qualify for a 100% rating. The threshold is effectively no usable hearing: speech discrimination at 0% in both ears, or the equivalent grid outcome. Many veterans with severe loss pursue individual unemployability (TDIU) rather than reaching the 100% schedular level.
Does the VA reduce hearing loss ratings over time?
The VA generally does not reduce ratings for conditions that are permanent and stable. Sensorineural (nerve) hearing loss is typically permanent. However, conductive hearing loss from a correctable cause could theoretically be reviewed. Veterans who have been rated for 10 or more years have additional protections under 38 CFR § 3.951.