VA Disability Rating for Tinnitus

Diagnostic code 6260 in 38 CFR 4.87 assigns one rating for recurrent tinnitus. The schedule does not list 0%, 30%, or any other level under this code.

Current criteria (DC 6260)

DC 6260 and 2026 monthly pay, veteran alone
Rating	Criteria in 38 CFR 4.87	2026 monthly, veteran alone
10%	Tinnitus, recurrent	$180.42

Three notes follow the code:

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 supports an evaluation under one 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): Do not evaluate objective tinnitus (in which the sound is audible to other people and has a definable cause that may or may not be pathologic) under this diagnostic code, but evaluate it as part of any underlying condition causing it.

At 10%, VA pays no extra for dependents. $180.42 is the 2026 rate with or without them. Open the calculator with 10% filled in. If another disability is service connected, add it and read how VA math combines ratings. The full dependent rules are on the 2026 pay chart.

Authority: 38 USC 1155. The eCFR citation is 64 FR 25210 (May 11, 1999), as amended at 68 FR 25823 (May 14, 2003).

Proposed deletion is not current law

The February 15, 2022 proposed rule at 87 FR 8474 (FR Doc. 2022-02049) says VA proposes to evaluate tinnitus only as part of its underlying pathology and to delete DC 6260 entirely. The same notice says the proposal will have no impact on veterans currently in receipt of service connection for tinnitus under DC 6260, and points to 38 CFR 3.951(a) for those evaluations. The proposal is not an effective rating schedule.

A September 12, 2024 supplemental proposal, 89 FR 74162, proposes a diagnostic code for constrictive bronchiolitis. It does not itself delete DC 6260. The eCFR issue dated August 27, 2026 still lists recurrent tinnitus at 10% under DC 6260.

Sources

38 CFR 4.87, diagnostic code 6260. eCFR title 38 latest issue date August 27, 2026 (up to date as of October 16, 2026). Retrieved October 20, 2026.
87 FR 8474 (Feb. 15, 2022) and 89 FR 74162 (Sept. 12, 2024).
Pay: VA.gov veteran rates, effective December 1, 2025, checked October 19, 2026.

Last checked October 20, 2026. Estimates only. Not a rating decision.

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Frequently asked questions

Can tinnitus be rated in each ear?

No. Note (2) to diagnostic code 6260 says to assign only a single evaluation for recurrent tinnitus, whether the sound is perceived in one ear, both ears, or in the head.

How much is 10% VA disability in 2026?

For a veteran alone, the official 2026 rate is the amount in the table on this page. At 10% and 20%, VA pays no extra for dependents.

Is VA removing the tinnitus diagnostic code?

A February 15, 2022 proposed rule would delete DC 6260 and evaluate tinnitus as part of an underlying condition. That proposal is not the current schedule. The eCFR text dated August 27, 2026 still lists DC 6260 at 10%.