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Hearing loss

What it is

Hearing loss means you can't hear sounds or understand words as well as you should.

VA's code numbers for this: 6100

What the examiner will do

Who does it: A VA doctor or a VA contract examiner. VA's exam page (updated Aug 15, 2025) names four contract companies: Loyal Source Government Services, OptumServe Health Services, Leidos QTC Health Services, and Veterans Evaluation Services (VES). (LHI is an older name; it is now part of OptumServe.) You can't pick which one. Answer every call or letter about scheduling.

  • A state-licensed audiologist (hearing specialist), VA or contract, does the exam. The law requires both the beep test and the Maryland CNC word test.
  • First they look in your ears. Then you go into a sound booth for the beep test and the word test. Sometimes they test how your eardrum moves.
  • Typical questions: What noise were you around in service? After service (job, hunting, motorcycles)? Do you use hearing aids? How does hearing loss affect you?
  • It usually takes about 30-60 minutes.

Tests, in plain words

Puretone test (beeps)
You sit in a quiet booth with headphones. You press a button when you hear a beep. The test finds the softest beep you can hear at each pitch. VA averages your results at 4 pitches (1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 Hertz). That number is your 'puretone threshold average.' Bigger number = worse hearing. It is measured in decibels (dB).
Maryland CNC speech test (words)
You hear a list of short, one-syllable words and repeat each one. Your score is the percent you got right. 100% is perfect. Lower = worse. VA requires this exact word test.
Table VI
A chart that uses BOTH numbers (word score and beep average) to give each ear a Roman numeral, I to XI.
Table VIa
A chart that uses only the beep average. Used when the word test doesn't work (language problems, scores that don't match) or for two unusual hearing patterns.
Unusual patterns rule
If every one of the 4 pitches is 55 dB or worse, OR you hear low pitches well (30 dB or better at 1000) but high pitches badly (70 dB or worse at 2000), VA uses whichever chart gives the higher numeral. For the second pattern, it moves up one more step.
Table VII
The final chart. It takes the two ears' numerals and gives one percent.
No hearing aids
The test is done without your hearing aids in.

The examiner fills out a form called a DBQ. You can read it ahead of time: Hearing Loss and Tinnitus DBQ (not public; only a state-licensed audiologist working for VA or a VA contractor fills it out) (opens VA's site).

The rating levels, in plain words

VA picks the level that best matches how often and how badly the condition affects you.

  • 0%

    VA puts each ear's test results on a chart and gives that ear a level from I (normal) to XI (deaf). Then a second chart combines the two ears into a percent. If both ears are level I, the rating is 0%. Many Veterans with real hearing loss get 0%. That still counts: it is service connected, and VA covers hearing aids.

    VA's exact words

    Table VII, 'Percentage Evaluations for Hearing Impairment,' is used to determine the percentage evaluation by combining the Roman numeral designations for hearing impairment of each ear.

    Rule: 38 CFR 4.85(e); 4.85 Table VII

  • 10%

    Ratings go up in steps (10, 20, 30 ... up to 100%) as the levels for both ears go up. Your better ear matters a lot. Bad hearing in only one ear often stays at 0% or 10%.

    VA's exact words

    The horizontal rows represent the ear having the better hearing and the vertical columns the ear having the poorer hearing. The percentage evaluation is located at the point where the row and column intersect.

    Rule: 38 CFR 4.85(e), Table VII

  • 100%

    The top of the chart (both ears level XI) is 100%. Deafness in both ears with no air and bone conduction can also get extra pay called SMC-K.

    VA's exact words

    When evaluating any claim for impaired hearing, refer to § 3.350 of this chapter to determine whether the veteran may be entitled to special monthly compensation due either to deafness, or to deafness in combination with other specified disabilities.

    Rule: 38 CFR 4.85(g); 38 CFR 3.350(a)

What to track before your exam

What to write down: Real-life moments where hearing gets in the way. The test sets the percent, but the examiner must also write how hearing loss affects your daily life and work.

How: For 2 weeks, jot down each time hearing caused a problem. Ask your spouse to add what they notice.

Your log: what to write each time

  1. Date
  2. Where (work, home, car, store, church)
  3. What happened (missed words, asked to repeat, TV too loud, missed phone or alarm, safety issue)
  4. How many times today
  5. Who noticed

Tap Print this page to get a blank log sheet and your exam-day checklist on paper.

Exam-day checklist

Tick each one off. Nothing you tick is saved or sent anywhere.

What to bring: Bring a photo ID, your list of medicines and doses, your home log, and any new private records you have not sent to VA yet. VA says you don't have to bring anything, but your notes help you remember. A spouse or caregiver may come along. VA says you can ask the examiner if they can stay in the room. The examiner may ask them to wait outside.

Tell the examiner

Honest exam rules

  • Tell the whole truth. Don't add to it. Don't shrink it.
  • Describe a normal day AND your worst days. Say how often the worst days happen.
  • Answer the question you were asked. Skip the habit of saying 'I'm fine' or 'it's not that bad' when it is.
  • It's OK to read from your log or notes. Hand the examiner a copy if they will take it.
  • Don't act out symptoms or guess at numbers. If you don't know or can't remember, say so.
  • If something hurts or makes you worse during the exam, say so right then.
  • Fraud warning: knowingly giving VA false information is a federal crime (18 U.S.C. 1001) and can cost you all your benefits (38 U.S.C. 6103). Honest, complete answers protect you.
  • Press the button only when you truly hear the beep. Results that don't match can make the examiner throw out the word test and use Table VIa.

Common mistakes

  • Expecting a high rating for hearing that feels bad. The percent comes only from the charts. VA calls this a 'mechanical' rating.

    Where this comes from: Lendenmann v. Principi, 3 Vet. App. 345 (1992)

  • The exam report leaves out how your hearing affects daily life. The examiner must describe it. If it's missing, ask your representative about asking for a new exam.

    Where this comes from: Martinak v. Nicholson, 21 Vet. App. 447 (2007)

  • Being denied because your discharge hearing test was normal. A normal discharge test does not end the claim by itself.

    Where this comes from: Hensley v. Brown, 5 Vet. App. 155 (1993)

  • Not meeting VA's threshold for 'hearing loss' at all. VA counts hearing loss only if one pitch (500-4000 Hz) is 40 dB or worse, or three pitches are 26 dB or worse, or the word score is under 94%.

    Where this comes from: 38 CFR 3.385

  • Hearing loss was the most-denied condition the HTB team tracked at the Board in 2025-2026 (about 46% denied). Most denials were about cause, not the rating.

    Where this comes from: Secondary: hadit.com BVA trends 2025-2026, via HTB practice notes (medium confidence)

Questions to ask together

A spouse, grown child or friend can read these out loud. Talk about each one before the exam, so nothing gets left out.

  1. How often do you ask people to repeat themselves?
  2. Do I have to turn the TV down after you've watched it?
  3. Do you miss the phone, doorbell, or alarms?
  4. Is it harder for you to hear in restaurants or crowds?
  5. Has your hearing caused a problem at work or a safety scare?

Rule changes you may hear about

Today's rules (above) are what VA uses unless a change is final.

  • Proposed, not law yet

    VA proposed changes to the ear and hearing rules. Hearing loss would include a 10% for tinnitus only when the hearing loss alone is rated 0%. The charts themselves are not the main change.

    Where it stands: Proposed Feb 15, 2022. Not final as of Oct 30, 2026. eCFR 4.85 and 4.86 unchanged since 1999.

    87 FR 8474, RIN 2900-AQ72

Sources

Checked against VA's rules on October 30, 2026.

Helping The Brave doesn't file or prepare claims. This guide is free education, not medical or legal advice. The VA examiner measures and VA decides your rating.