Should I file a claim for hearing loss if it probably won't raise my combined disability rating?

Many veterans wonder whether it's worth filing for a condition that, based on the rating schedule, is likely to come back at a low percentage that may not move their overall combined rating. The short answer is that filing is almost always worthwhile, for reasons beyond the immediate percentage change.

First, understand how combined ratings work. The VA does not simply add percentages together; it uses the "whole person" combined ratings table under 38 CFR 4.25, which accounts for remaining efficiency after each rating. Depending on your other rated conditions, adding a 10% hearing loss rating to an existing 60% combined rating may or may not push you to the next combined percentage. Hearing loss itself is rated under 38 CFR 4.85 and 4.86 based on puretone threshold and speech discrimination testing, and high-frequency loss that doesn't affect speech recognition often does result in a low or even 0% evaluation, even when service connection is granted.

What would this rating pay you? (2026 rates)

Official 2026 VA monthly compensation, including the 2.8% COLA increase.

Rating Married Children

per month · per year, tax-free

Dependent add-ons start at a 30% rating. Child-only and dependent-parent rates: see the full 2026 pay chart.

2026 base rates, all ratings (veteran alone)

Rating	Monthly (2026, incl. 2.8% COLA)
10%	$180.42
20%	$356.66
30%	$552.47
40%	$795.84
50%	$1,132.90
60%	$1,435.02
70%	$1,808.45
80%	$2,102.15
90%	$2,362.30
100%	$3,938.58

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Even so, there are solid reasons to file. Service connection, once granted, is permanent unless specifically severed, and it preserves your place in line if the condition worsens later — you would only need to file for an increase, not fight the service-connection question again. A service-connected hearing loss rating can also factor into eligibility for Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) if your overall disability picture changes over time. It can support claims for hearing aids and audiology care through the VA health system. And if you later develop secondary conditions, having the primary condition already service-connected simplifies that process.

Given that your tinnitus and hearing loss share the same in-service noise exposure (aircraft carrier flight deck or engine room environments are well-documented noise hazards), the evidentiary case is often straightforward if you have audiograms showing a threshold shift and a nexus statement tying it to service.

The concrete next step is to file VA Form 21-526EZ with your audiogram results and a nexus opinion linking the hearing loss to in-service noise exposure, even if you expect a low initial rating.