The veteran's claim for separate schedular 10 percent disability evaluations for bilateral tinnitus is denied as the current version of Diagnostic Code 6260 precludes such evaluations.
The deciding factor: VA regulations do not allow for separate ratings for tinnitus in both ears under any circumstances, including the new version of Diagnostic Code 6260 which explicitly provides a single 10 percent evaluation regardless of whether perceived as unilateral or bilateral.
- Claimed conditions
- Bilateral Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 23, 2006
- Citation
- 0626227
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0626227.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a compensable rating for allergic rhinitis, service connection for chronic sinusitis and bilateral tinnitus, granted a 50 percent initial rating for PTSD, and remanded the claims for an increased rating for PTSD and service connection for a somatic disorder.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for major depressive disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and bilateral tinnitus. The claims for diabetes mellitus, type II; gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD); hypertension; and cerebrovascular accident residuals were remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, functional abdominal pain syndrome/abdominal pain and bloating, respiratory insufficiency (dyspnea), but granted service connection for bilateral tinnitus. The decision also addressed the initial rating of IBS, finding it not compensable.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, and a cervical spine disability. The claim for obstructive sleep apnea was remanded.
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