YOUR CONDITION, EXPLAINED
Sensorineural Hearing Loss VA disability rating & claim guide
The VA rates Sensorineural Hearing Loss under diagnostic code 6100, in 38 CFR § 4.85 (hearing impairment), and that code carries no rating ladder of its own. The percentage comes from elsewhere in Part 4 rather than from tiers under this code.
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A CLEARER PATH FORWARD
Make sense of your next step.
01Understand the rating02Know what to gather03Prepare for your examTHE ESSENTIALS
How the VA rates Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Hearing loss caused by damage to the inner ear or auditory nerve, making it hard to hear clearly or distinguish words.
Hearing impairment is not rated from a ladder of written criteria. Under 38 CFR 4.85 the examination must be performed by a state-licensed audiologist and must include a controlled speech discrimination test (Maryland CNC) and a puretone audiometry test, conducted without hearing aids. Each ear's results are converted to a Roman numeral (I through XI) using Table VI, or Table VIa where only puretone averages are usable, and the two numerals are then combined through Table VII to produce the percentage. The puretone threshold average is the sum of the thresholds at 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 Hertz divided by four. 38 CFR 4.86 provides two exceptional patterns that change which table is used. Because the percentage is produced by those tables rather than by written tiers, this page publishes no rating ladder - the evaluation depends entirely on the audiogram.
- Diagnostic code
- 6100
- Rating schedule
- 38 CFR § 4.85
- Levels in this guide
- None under this code
BUILD YOUR EVIDENCE, ONE PIECE AT A TIME
Evidence for your Sensorineural Hearing Loss claim
A long list feels easier when you have a place to start. Use this checklist to see what you have and what still needs gathering.
Check off what you’ve gathered. Progress stays on this page until you leave or refresh.
A LITTLE PREPARATION HELPS
What the C&P examiner will ask about Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Think through your own experience before exam day. Open a question to see what the examiner is assessing and which details are useful to describe accurately.
HistoryWhat caused your hearing loss and when did you first notice it?
Establishing etiology and onset for service connection determination.
- Provide specific timeframes for when hearing loss was first noticed
- Detail noise exposures during military service
- Bring any audiograms from military service or shortly after
- Document any sudden hearing loss events with medical records
- Being vague about when hearing loss started
- Not connecting hearing loss to specific military exposures
- Failing to differentiate between gradual and sudden onset
HistoryWhat do your most recent hearing test results show?
Reviewing audiometric data which is the primary objective measure for hearing loss ratings.
- Bring copies of all recent audiograms and hearing test results
- Understand your hearing thresholds and what they mean
- Note any asymmetry between left and right ear hearing
- Mention any tinnitus noted during audiometric testing
- Not bringing recent audiometric test results to exam
- Not understanding your own hearing test numbers
- Failing to mention if hearing has worsened since last testing
Daily functionDo you have difficulty hearing in noisy environments, such as restaurants or crowds?
Evaluating functional hearing impact beyond pure tone testing.
- Think about real-world hearing challenges, not just quiet doctor visits
- Describe specific situations where you struggle to hear
- Mention if you use closed captions, ask for repeats, or avoid social situations
- Be specific about which ear(s) are affected
- Only thinking about hearing in quiet environments
- Not mentioning functional impacts on work or social life
- Forgetting to describe difficulty with phone calls or TV volume
Daily functionDo you have difficulty understanding speech, especially women's or children's voices?
Assessing speech discrimination problems which significantly impact hearing disability ratings.
- Describe specific examples of misunderstanding speech
- Mention if you need to lip read or use visual cues
- Note if phone conversations are particularly difficult
- Describe work impacts from mishearing instructions or conversations
- Not mentioning speech discrimination problems separate from volume issues
- Failing to describe how speech understanding affects work and relationships
- Not noting the difference between men's and women's voices
Daily functionHow does your hearing loss affect your work performance and job duties?
Evaluating occupational impact of hearing loss for functional assessment.
- Provide specific examples of work tasks affected by hearing loss
- Document any workplace accommodations you've requested or received
- Mention safety concerns related to not hearing warnings or alarms
- Describe any job changes due to hearing difficulties
- Not connecting hearing loss to specific work performance issues
- Failing to mention safety implications of hearing loss at work
- Not documenting workplace accommodations that have been needed
Daily functionDo you have difficulty understanding speech, especially in background noise?
Evaluating speech discrimination which can be more disabling than pure tone hearing loss.
- Describe specific situations where you miss speech
- Mention if you rely on lip reading or gestures
- Note difference between understanding men's vs women's voices
- Describe difficulty with accents or rapid speech
- Not describing speech understanding problems separately from hearing loss
- Failing to mention reliance on visual cues for communication
- Not noting specific situations where speech is hardest to understand
Daily functionHas your hearing loss affected your social activities and relationships?
Assessing psychosocial impact of hearing loss which contributes to overall disability assessment.
- Describe specific social situations you now avoid
- Mention impact on family relationships and friendships
- Note any depression or anxiety related to hearing loss
- Document social activities you've given up due to hearing problems
- Not connecting hearing loss to social and relationship problems
- Failing to mention mental health impact of social isolation
- Not describing specific activities or events you now avoid
Daily functionDo you have safety concerns related to your hearing loss?
Evaluating safety implications which can significantly impact daily functioning and employment.
- Describe specific safety situations where hearing is important
- Mention any close calls or incidents related to not hearing warnings
- Note workplace safety requirements affected by hearing loss
- Document accommodations needed for safety at home or work
- Not considering safety implications of hearing loss
- Failing to mention specific safety incidents or near-misses
- Not connecting safety concerns to work or daily activity limitations
TreatmentDo you use hearing aids, and if so, how well do they help?
Documenting hearing aid use and effectiveness, which may affect functional assessment.
- Bring documentation of hearing aid fittings and adjustments
- Describe specific situations where hearing aids don't help enough
- Mention any problems with hearing aid use (feedback, discomfort, cost)
- Note if you avoid using hearing aids due to stigma or other reasons
- Not admitting to hearing aid use due to stigma
- Not explaining limitations of hearing aid effectiveness
- Failing to describe continued difficulties despite amplification
THE EXAM FORM
Which DBQ is used for Sensorineural Hearing Loss?
- Hearing Loss and Tinnitus. VA's examiner completes this questionnaire; it is not publicly available.
Source: VA: Public Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQs), read September 18, 2026.
SMALL DETAILS. BETTER PREPARATION.
Preparing your Sensorineural Hearing Loss claim
Start with the practical tips, then explore the common oversights. You don’t need to work through everything at once.
Practical tips for your claim3 tips
- 01
Make sure the audiogram is VA-compliant: state-licensed audiologist, Maryland CNC speech discrimination, puretone audiometry, no hearing aids.
- 02
Document the noise exposure - MOS noise profile, flight line or artillery duty, or a specific acoustic trauma event.
- 03
Claim tinnitus separately. It has its own code and its own evaluation, and 38 CFR 4.87's DC 6260 note contemplates combining it with a hearing impairment evaluation.
C&P exam pitfalls to keep in mind3 tips
- 01
An audiogram missing speech discrimination scores, which 38 CFR 4.85(a) requires.
- 02
Testing performed with hearing aids in place, which 38 CFR 4.85(a) excludes.
- 03
A civilian test that does not use the Maryland CNC word list.
Common filing mistakes3 tips
- 01
Submitting a hearing test without speech discrimination scores.
- 02
Not documenting the in-service noise exposure that supports direct service connection.
- 03
Expecting a percentage from the diagnosis itself rather than from the audiometric results.
When symptoms may first appear3 tips
- 01
Gradual loss from long-term loud noise exposure
- 02
Sudden onset from acoustic trauma or explosion
- 03
Worsens with age if untreated
YOUR SERVICE STORY
Military jobs associated with Sensorineural Hearing Loss
More by branch: Army · Marines · Air Force · Navy · Coast Guard
THE BROADER PICTURE
Sensorineural Hearing Loss by the numbers
- Approval outlook
- Moderate – depends heavily on validated audiological testing.
- Service-connected disabilities (VBA count)
- 1,690,837 disabilities
Count of service-connected disabilities from the VBA Annual Benefits Report (FY2025), as of September 30, 2025; the report counts disabilities, not veterans. Approval outlook and typical rating are Vetrify editorial estimates, not official VA statistics.
LET’S CLEAR A FEW THINGS UP
Common questions about Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Is Sensorineural Hearing Loss a VA-rated disability?
Yes. The VA rates Sensorineural Hearing Loss under VASRD diagnostic code 6100 (Hearing Impairment). Hearing loss caused by damage to the inner ear or auditory nerve, making it hard to hear clearly or distinguish words.
What evidence helps prove Sensorineural Hearing Loss for VA disability?
Strong evidence for a Sensorineural Hearing Loss claim includes: A VA-compliant audiogram including Maryland CNC speech discrimination testing, performed by a state-licensed audiologist without hearing aids; Evidence of in-service noise exposure, such as an MOS with a recognized high noise profile or documented acoustic trauma; Lay statements from coworkers or family describing communication difficulty.
Which DBQ is used for Sensorineural Hearing Loss?
VA's examiner completes the Hearing Loss and Tinnitus questionnaire; VA lists it among the DBQs that are not available for public use.
What mistakes should veterans avoid when claiming Sensorineural Hearing Loss?
Common pitfalls when filing for Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Submitting a hearing test without speech discrimination scores; Not documenting the in-service noise exposure that supports direct service connection; Expecting a percentage from the diagnosis itself rather than from the audiometric results.
What conditions can be secondary to Sensorineural Hearing Loss?
Conditions that can be service-connected as secondary to Sensorineural Hearing Loss, when a medical opinion links them, include: Tinnitus; Depression. A secondary condition gets its own rating, which VA combines with the veteran's other ratings under 38 CFR 4.25.
Official sources
- 38 CFR § 4.85, Schedule of ratings, hearing impairment (Diagnostic Code 6100)
- VBA Annual Benefits Report (FY2025), service-connected disabilities count, as of September 30, 2025
Criteria in quotation marks are the regulation’s own words; everything else on this page is Vetrify’s summary of it. The eCFR text is authoritative. See how Vetrify derives its numbers.
How these figures are checked: our methodology and the open dataset.
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