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.

Official VA Forms & DBQs