BVA decisions by condition
Tinnitus: BVA grant rates and what wins
From 2017 to 2026, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided a tinnitus issue in 63,997 decisions. It granted the tinnitus issue in 41.1% of them, above the 19.4% grant rate for all conditions, denied it in 25.5%, and remanded it in 23.3%. Counting only decisions on the merits (granted or denied), 61.7% were granted.
Decisions
63,997
2017–2026
Granted
41.1%
All conditions: 19.4%
Granted on the merits
61.7%
Granted ÷ (granted + denied)
Remanded
23.3%
Denied: 25.5%
How VA rates tinnitus
Once service connection is granted, VA assigns a disability rating from the rating schedule: 38 CFR 4.87, diagnostic code 6260 (Tinnitus, recurrent). The rating is the same whether the condition is service connected directly or as secondary to another disability.
| Rating | Criteria |
|---|---|
| 10% | Tinnitus, recurrent |
- 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.
Text of 38 CFR 4.87 as of Feb 27, 2026. Confirm the current text at the source before relying on it.
Tinnitus outcomes by year
| Year | Issues decided | Granted | Denied | Remanded | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 3,699 | 34.0% | 21.9% | 29.0% | 15.1% |
| 2018 | 7,766 | 38.3% | 26.6% | 24.0% | 11.1% |
| 2019 | 9,527 | 39.1% | 29.6% | 22.8% | 8.5% |
| 2020 | 7,465 | 38.2% | 28.1% | 24.0% | 9.7% |
| 2021 | 5,455 | 39.4% | 23.4% | 25.0% | 12.1% |
| 2022 | 6,176 | 43.0% | 21.4% | 24.0% | 11.7% |
| 2023 | 6,831 | 39.9% | 23.3% | 24.1% | 12.8% |
| 2024 | 8,263 | 42.6% | 25.5% | 20.1% | 11.9% |
| 2025 | 8,478 | 37.7% | 30.2% | 19.6% | 12.5% |
| 2026 | 3,300 | 44.6% | 26.5% | 15.7% | 13.2% |
Each row counts issues (each condition the Board decided), so the shares add up to 100%. Other: dismissed, withdrawn or no clear outcome. Years with fewer than 50 issues are left out.
Evidence in granted and denied tinnitus decisions
For each kind of supporting evidence: how often the Board granted the tinnitus issue on the merits when the decision mentioned it, compared with decisions that did not. These are associations, not causes, and evidence is recorded per decision, not per issue.
| In the record | Decisions | Granted when present | When absent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lay statement | 52,020 | 64.8% | 34.0% | +30.9 pts |
| Positive nexus opinion | 11,657 | 77.6% | 57.0% | +20.6 pts |
| Claimed as secondary | 3,357 | 81.1% | 60.8% | +20.3 pts |
| Buddy statement | 1,816 | 76.9% | 61.2% | +15.7 pts |
| Combat service | 5,654 | 75.5% | 60.1% | +15.4 pts |
| Favorable VA exam | 6,361 | 72.0% | 60.3% | +11.7 pts |
| Treating physician opinion | 1,716 | 70.9% | 61.4% | +9.5 pts |
| Private medical opinion | 17,674 | 67.1% | 59.2% | +7.9 pts |
- The Board applied the benefit-of-the-doubt rule (38 CFR 3.102) in 83.5% of the decisions that granted tinnitus.
- The Board found the veteran's statements credible in 77.7% of grants and 12.9% of denials.
Negative evidence in the record
An unfavorable exam or a negative nexus opinion often sits in the same record as favorable evidence, and the Board weighs them against each other. So these rows show how often tinnitus was still granted when the record contained the negative item, not that the item helped.
| In the record | Decisions | Granted when present | When absent | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Negative nexus opinion | 39,101 | 66.8% | 50.0% | +16.8 pts |
| Unfavorable VA exam | 49,252 | 63.2% | 52.4% | +10.8 pts |
Tinnitus claimed as a secondary condition
Decisions where tinnitus was claimed as secondary to another service-connected disability (38 CFR 3.310), by that disability.
Conditions claimed secondary to tinnitus
Other conditions veterans claimed as caused or aggravated by tinnitus, with how often the Board granted them.
- Migraine secondary to tinnitus1,013 decisions · 31.9% granted
- Sleep apnea secondary to tinnitus632 decisions · 20.7% granted
- Peripheral vestibular disorders secondary to tinnitus579 decisions · 12.6% granted
- Hearing loss secondary to tinnitus396 decisions · 13.6% granted
- Major depressive disorder secondary to tinnitus384 decisions · 43.0% granted
Why the Board granted or denied tinnitus
Most common reasons in grants
- In-service noise exposure conceded3,701
- Current diagnosis established3,560
- Continuity of symptomatology since service2,001
- Service records negative or silent368
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service268
- Caused by the service-connected disability266
- Tinnitus capable of lay observation259
- Criteria for service connection met214
Most common reasons in denials
- Already at the maximum schedular rating3,113
- VA examiner: less likely than not related to service2,654
- No in-service complaints, treatment or diagnosis1,746
- Service records negative or silent1,537
- Preponderance of the evidence against the claim954
- No legal basis for a higher rating707
- No current diagnosis479
- No continuity of symptomatology471
Numbers are decisions that gave the reason. Reasons are short phrases extracted by AI from each decision; common wordings of the same reason are grouped. Benefit of the doubt is reported above.
Recent tinnitus decisions
Granted
Continuity of symptomatology since service; Presumed incurred in service; Positive treating physician opinion; Inadequate VA opinion
Current disability with onset in service; Related to in-service noise exposure; Hazardous noise exposure conceded due to MOS; Benefit of the doubt resolved in veteran's favor
Veteran's credible testimony of in-service onset and continuity of tinnitus; AOJ conceded in-service acoustic noise trauma; AOJ conceded current diagnosis of tinnitus
Denied
Maximum schedular rating for tinnitus is 10 percent per DC 6260; Federal Circuit precedent (Smith v. Nicholson) supports single rating limit; No legal basis for rating in excess of 10 percent
Denied as secondary to denied migraines/headaches; No current migraines/headaches established
Service records negative for tinnitus complaints; Veteran repeatedly denied tinnitus during examinations; Evidence persuasively weighs against service connection
Rules that apply to tinnitus claims
- 38 CFR 4.87 · DC 6260
Schedule of ratings: ear
Read it in VA Law Explorer - M21-1 V.iii.2.B.1
Service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus, incl. Guard and Reserve duty
Read it in VA Law Explorer - M21-1 V.iii.2.B.3
Tinnitus: sympathetic reading, medical opinions, liberalizing provisions
Read it in VA Law Explorer - 38 CFR 3.303
Principles of service connection
Read it in VA Law Explorer - 38 CFR 3.310
Secondary service connection and aggravation
Read it in VA Law Explorer - 38 CFR 3.102
Reasonable doubt (benefit of the doubt)
Read it in VA Law Explorer
Research your tinnitus case
Narrow by year, judge, evidence or secondary condition, read the decisions, and export a research memo.
How these numbers are calculated
- Rates count decisions in which the Board decided a tinnitus issue, by the outcome of that issue. Other issues in the same decision can have different outcomes.
- “Granted on the merits” leaves out remands and dismissals. “All conditions” is the grant share across every condition issue in the data.
- The data comes from CaseScribe's AI extraction of public BVA decisions (2017–2026) and can contain errors. It is updated automatically as new decisions are added.