If you are a veteran suffering from tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, you may be eligible to receive U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation. If your tinnitus is connected to a separate auditory condition, such as hearing loss or dizziness, you might qualify for an even higher benefit amount. As a VA disability recipient, you may also be eligible for free VA healthcare.
A VA disability advocate can help you file an appeal and receive a grant of benefits. They have helped many disabled veterans collect disability compensation. VA disability advocates have a passion for helping disabled vets and want to put their resources to work for you. For a free disability claim evaluation, call today at (888) 373-4722.
Collecting VA Disability Benefits for Tinnitus
If you have a diagnosis of tinnitus or recurrent tinnitus, you are eligible to apply for and receive a grant of VA disability benefits. The VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities, which lists various medical conditions and their respective criteria for different ratings, features an entry for tinnitus. Veterans’ benefits advocates help you gather evidence and submit a compelling appeal showing your tinnitus meets the VA’s criteria to receive a grant of benefits.
Tinnitus counts as a valid disability by VA’s standards. On its own, however, it receives a very low impairment rating, making you eligible for only a small benefit amount. This is because the VA does not consider ringing in the ears to be substantially disabling unless it is a byproduct of a more severe condition.
Conditions often associated with tinnitus and eligible for higher monthly compensation include:
- Hearing loss, full or partial
- Chronic suppurative otitis media, mastoiditis, or cholesteatoma (or any combination)
- Peripheral vestibular disorders (usually characterized by dizziness)
If you have been diagnosed with tinnitus or any other condition affecting the ears, a disability advocate can help you appeal for a grant of VA disability benefits.
VA Disability Advocates Can Help You Put Together a Compelling Appeal for Disability Benefits
Dedicated VA disability advocates help disabled vets receive grants of benefits. Their track record is long and successful, and they want to put it to work on your appeal.
VA disability advocates understand the components of a winning appeal. These components include:
- A diagnosis of a disabling condition — Advocates first have to show that you are diagnosed with a condition.
- An event during your military service — Advocates then have to identify an event you experienced during your military service that triggered your condition or that your symptoms began while you were serving. For instance, they assist you in presenting evidence to the VA that you were exposed to repeated loud gun blasts during a combat mission or training exercise.
- A “nexus,” or cause-and-effect link — Finally, a medical professional has to tie the appeal together by demonstrating a “nexus,” or cause-and-effect link, between the event and your diagnosis.
VA Disability Advocates Help You Receive the Highest Benefit Amount for Your Condition
A diagnosis of tinnitus on its own receives a 10% disability rating, which corresponds to a monthly compensation amount of $142.29. But in many claims, other conditions cause tinnitus, and these conditions may warrant higher impairment ratings and thus greater compensation.
According to the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities, the VA considers the following when assigning Code of Federal Regulations impairment ratings for tinnitus and related conditions:
- A separate evaluation for tinnitus may be combined with an evaluation under diagnostic codes 6100 (hearing loss), 6200 (chronic suppurative otitis media, mastoiditis, or cholesteatoma), 6204 (peripheral vestibular disorders), or other diagnostic code, except when tinnitus supports an evaluation under one of those diagnostic codes.
- The VA will only assign a single evaluation for recurrent tinnitus, whether the sound is perceived in one ear, both ears or in the head.
- The VA will 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.
The third paragraph means VA may not approve or rate your condition under the Tinnitus Diagnostic Code if the ringing in your ears is audible to other people. If you were declined compensation for this reason, an advocate can help you challenge the VA’s decision on appeal.
As of December 2019, the VA disability compensation rates scale for a single veteran with no dependents is:
- 10% rating: $142.29 per month
- 20% rating: $281.27 per month
- 30% rating: $435.69 per month
- 40% rating: $627.61 per month
- 50% rating: $893.43 per month
- 60% rating: $1,131.68 per month
- 70% rating: $1,426.17 per month
- 80% rating: $1,657.80 per month
- 90% rating: $1,862.96 per month
- 100% rating: $3,106.04 per month
Call (888) 373-4722 Today for a Free VA Disability Claim Evaluation With a VA Disability Advocate
Dedicated VA disability advocates are passionate about fighting for the rights of disabled vets. They want to reward you for your service and sacrifice by helping you receive a grant of VA disability benefits. VA disability advocates offer a free consultation and never get paid until they recover money for you.* For a consultation, call (888) 373-4722.
