The veteran's claim for an initial, separate 10 percent rating for each ear for his service-connected tinnitus must be denied under both the old and current versions of DC 6260. As the service-connected tinnitus has been assigned the maximum schedular rating available for tinnitus by regulation and DC 6260, which has been upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, there is no legal basis upon which to award a separate, 10 percent rating for tinnitus.
The deciding factor: The version of DC 6260 in effect prior to June 2003 precludes a schedular rating higher than 10 percent for tinnitus.
- Claimed conditions
- tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- September 13, 2006
- Citation
- 0628978
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 734 · Granted: 9% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0628978.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, finding that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran experienced tinnitus during his active duty service.
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