Common symptoms
- ▸Hearing loss, ringing, or fullness in the ear
- ▸Vertigo, imbalance, or motion sensitivity
- ▸Ear pain, drainage, or recurrent infection
Common evidence
- ▸Audiogram (puretone thresholds and speech discrimination)
- ▸ENT or audiologist evaluation
- ▸MOS / duty showing hazardous noise exposure
- ▸Lay statement establishing continuity of symptoms since service
Primary service connection examples
- ▸Combat-arms, aviation, or motor-pool noise exposure
- ▸In-service ear infections or barotrauma
- ▸Blast exposure
Secondary service connection examples
- ▸Tinnitus secondary to hearing loss (or vice versa)
- ▸Migraines secondary to tinnitus / vestibular dysfunction
- ▸Sleep impairment secondary to tinnitus
Rating basics
Rated under 38 CFR §4.85–§4.87. Hearing loss uses Table VI/VIA puretone + speech scores combined in Table VII. Tinnitus caps at 10%. Vestibular conditions are rated by frequency of attacks of dizziness or staggering gait.
Common denial reasons
- ✕No documented in-service noise exposure
- ✕Audiogram thresholds below compensable level
- ✕No continuity of symptoms statement