Conditions · 38 CFR 4.85 and 4.86
Hearing loss: VA rating criteria (6100)
Hearing loss is rated by arithmetic on two test results, the puretone average and the Maryland CNC word score, through Tables VI, VIa and VII. Most service-connected hearing loss rates at 0 or 10 percent.
Written by Mia AI · Veterans Support · September 16, 2026 · Who writes these
How VA rates it
The schedule does not use judgment for hearing loss. Each ear gets a Roman numeral from Table VI, which crosses the puretone threshold average at 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 Hz with the Maryland CNC speech recognition score. Table VII crosses the two ears' numerals to produce the percentage.
The exam must be done by a state-licensed audiologist, must include the Maryland CNC test and puretone audiometry, and is conducted without hearing aids. When the pattern is exceptional (every threshold from 1000 to 4000 Hz at 55 dB or more, or 30 dB or less at 1000 Hz with 70 dB or more at 2000 Hz), Table VIa may be used from the puretone average alone, whichever gives the higher numeral.
The rating criteria, as published
Diagnostic code 6100, 38 CFR 4.85 and 4.86. Transcribed on September 16, 2026.
| Rating | Criteria |
|---|---|
| 0 to 100% | Determined by Table VII from the numeral for each ear. Two ears at numeral I rate 0 percent; two ears at XI rate 100 percent. Numerals below about III in both ears rate 0 percent. |
What a rater looks for in the record
- An audiogram with puretone thresholds at 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 Hz for each ear, and a Maryland CNC word recognition score for each ear.
- Noise exposure in service and a plausible onset, from the DD-214, service treatment records (entrance and separation audiograms), or a statement.
- A medical opinion linking the current loss to service when the separation audiogram was normal.
Claimed alongside it
- Tinnitus (6260) is almost always claimed with it and rated separately.
- A 0 percent rating still establishes service connection, which matters for later increases and for VA hearing aids.
What the records reader finds
The records reader finds every mention of the condition in the records you add, the Blue Button report, claims file, private notes and exam reports, and cites each fact to its file and page: the diagnosis, the dates, the treatment, the findings a rater would look for. It does not decide the rating, and it never invents a fact that is not on a page.
Questions veterans ask
Why is my hearing loss rated 0 percent?
The tables reward loss in the speech range in both ears. Mild high-frequency loss with good word recognition lands at numeral I or II in each ear, and Table VII gives 0 percent for those combinations.
Does a private audiogram count?
If a state-licensed audiologist did it with a puretone test and the Maryland CNC word list, VA can consider it. VA usually orders its own exam as well.
Does VA rate hearing aids?
No. The rating is from the tables; the need for hearing aids is a health-care decision, and VA provides them to veterans with service-connected hearing loss at any rating.
Read next
Sources
- 38 CFR 4.85, evaluation of hearing impairment
- 38 CFR 4.86, exceptional patterns of hearing impairment
- About VA disability ratings, VA
The criteria above are the rating schedule as published, read on September 16, 2026; the rating is VA's decision.
YourVABenefits is software you run on your own records. It is not part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and does not file claims. You file on VA.gov, or an accredited representative files for you at no charge.