Board Decision Lookup › Tinnitus
How the Board ruled on tinnitus claims, 2021–2025
How the Board of Veterans' Appeals ruled on tinnitus service-connection claims in 2021–2025, for every theory and secondary pairing we publish. Board-appealed cases only, counted per claim. Last updated October 4, 2026.
These are past Board decisions, not a prediction for any individual case, and not legal advice. The percentage is among DECIDED cases; cases sent back to VA (remanded) are counted separately.
Look up one claim at a time in the Board Decision Lookup →
Tinnitus (direct service connection)
Direct (began in or was caused by service), or theory not stated in the Board order
75.3% granted of 9,357 decided cases (margin of error 74.5–76.2%). 7,049 granted, 2,308 denied, 3,355 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 979 dismissed.
What convinced the Board in granted cases
- Because ringing in the ears can be noticed by the person who has it, the Board accepted the veteran's credible report that it began in service and continued since, often without a medical opinion and even when service records were silent. (12 of 20 decisions read; e.g. 21031319, A23006329, 24006676)
- The Board treated in-service noise exposure as established when it fit the veteran's job, combat service, or awards (for example infantry, field wireman, rifle badge). (7 of 20 decisions read; e.g. 21031319, 21005103, 21051157)
- The Board discounted VA opinions that rested only on what the service records showed, did not address the veteran's report of ringing after noise, or could not answer without speculating, and in one case found a private opinion most probative because it was based on an interview, a full record review, and the veteran's credible statements. (4 of 20 decisions read; e.g. A24055578, A22016399, A24025947)
Common reasons in denied cases
- The Board relied on a thorough, unrebutted VA opinion, usually from an audiologist, that the tinnitus was not related to service noise, where the veteran offered no medical opinion or studies to the contrary. (8 of 15 decisions read; e.g. 23011106, 22019052, A25015474)
- The Board found no continuity because the veteran's own reports placed the start of the ringing years or decades after service, or his account changed over time or conflicted with earlier records where he denied tinnitus. (7 of 15 decisions read; e.g. A25034761, 21043394, A24060735)
- The Board found no current, recurring tinnitus during the claim period. (2 of 15 decisions read, few decisions; e.g. A25012873, A25004230)
Tinnitus secondary to any service-connected condition
Secondary (caused or worsened by a service-connected condition)
73.7% granted of 133 decided cases (margin of error 65.6–80.4%). 98 granted, 35 denied, 135 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 5 dismissed.
What convinced the Board in granted cases
- Most grants rested on a VA examiner's or audiologist's own opinion that tinnitus is a known symptom of the veteran's service-connected hearing loss or ear condition, usually with no contrary medical opinion. (6 of 9 decisions read; e.g. A24031022, A25020067, 22004518)
- Negative opinions lost weight when they were conclusory, skipped the audiology results, or leaned on a general report without addressing its qualifications. (2 of 9 decisions read, few decisions; e.g. A21013222, 23052501)
- The Board accepted veterans' credible, consistent reports of ringing in the ears that began with noise in service, since tinnitus can be observed by the person who has it. (3 of 9 decisions read; e.g. 21048767, 22041889, 22004518)
Common reasons in denied cases
- Many claims failed because tinnitus first appeared decades after service, the veteran's account of continuous symptoms was found not credible, or it did not begin in a qualifying period of service. (5 of 11 decisions read; e.g. 21059963, A25018766, 21037815)
- Secondary claims failed when the hearing loss the tinnitus was tied to was not service-connected, even when an examiner linked the two. (4 of 11 decisions read; e.g. A25022305, 23029777, A25002406)
- Some claims failed because there was no competent medical evidence of a link, and a VA audiologist's reasoned opinion outweighed the veteran's general statements. (3 of 11 decisions read; e.g. 23028915, A25007671, A25022305)
Tinnitus secondary to hearing loss
Secondary (caused or worsened by a service-connected condition)
80% granted of 95 decided cases (margin of error 70.9–86.8%). 76 granted, 19 denied, 61 sent back to VA (remanded, not decided), 4 dismissed.
What convinced the Board in granted cases
- The Board granted when a medical opinion, usually the VA examiner's and sometimes a private doctor's, explained that tinnitus is a known symptom of hearing loss, with no contrary opinion in the record. (6 of 11 decisions read; e.g. A24031022, 22030412, 22004518)
- Many grants followed once the Board service-connected the hearing loss itself, often in the same decision, sometimes after giving little weight to a VA hearing loss opinion that missed relevant test data. (5 of 11 decisions read; e.g. A24069292, 21039132, A24026931)
- The veteran's own consistent reports of ringing in the ears and when it started were accepted as competent, because tinnitus can be noticed by the person who has it. (2 of 11 decisions read, few decisions; e.g. 22004518, A24066086)
Common reasons in denied cases
- Most denials happened because the hearing loss was not service-connected or did not meet VA's hearing loss standard, leaving nothing to link the tinnitus to, even when an examiner tied the two together. (9 of 14 decisions read; e.g. A25022305, 22036578, A24034190)
- A detailed VA opinion citing medical literature, for example that noise does not cause delayed-onset tinnitus or that the pattern fit age-related hearing loss, was given more weight than the veteran's general assertions. (3 of 14 decisions read; e.g. 21027888, A25035414, A25022305)
- Long gaps with no reported tinnitus, or treatment records where the veteran denied tinnitus, undercut claims of symptoms since service. (3 of 14 decisions read; e.g. A24045588, A25018766, A25035414)
Curious how your own records line up? Take the free case check.
Want a medical opinion written for your claim? Submit your case online at flatratenexus.com.
Other conditions
- Alcohol or substance use disorder
- Anemia / blood disorder
- Ankle
- Arm / upper extremity
- Arthritis
- Asthma / COPD / lung condition
- Bladder / urinary condition
- Chronic fatigue
- Dental / jaw
- Depression / psychiatric disorder
- Diabetes
- Elbow
- Erectile dysfunction
- Eye / vision
- Fibromyalgia
- Foot (flat feet / plantar fasciitis)
- GERD / acid reflux
- Hand / fingers
- Hearing loss
- Heart disease
- Hemorrhoids
- Hepatitis / liver
- Hernia
- Hip
- Hypertension
- Insomnia / sleep disorder
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Kidney disease
- Knee
- Low back (lumbar spine)
- Lower leg (incl. shin splints)
- Memory loss / cognitive
- Migraine / headaches
- Neck (cervical spine)
- Parkinson's disease
- Prostate (non-cancer)
- Prostate cancer
- PTSD
- Radiculopathy / peripheral neuropathy
- Sarcoidosis / pulmonary fibrosis
- Seizure disorder
- Shoulder
- Sinusitis / rhinitis
- Skin condition
- Sleep apnea
- Stroke
- Thyroid
- Tinnitus
- Vertigo / dizziness
- Wrist
Percentages are shown only for combinations with at least 30 decided cases (granted + denied). Named secondary pairings with 10–29 decided cases are listed as "small sample" with counts only. "ANY service-connected condition (all combined)" pools every secondary claim for that condition. Other combinations exist, but there are too few decided cases to report. Each claim is counted by the Board's ruling on that specific claim (a decision covering several issues is split by issue). Remanded = sent back to VA for more work, not decided. "What convinced the Board" summarizes a reading of up to 25 granted and 25 denied Board decisions for each claim type, with the decision numbers shown so any point can be checked. Board-appealed cases only, not regional-office decisions. Information only, not legal advice. Flat Rate Nexus is a private medical practice, not affiliated with the VA.
Source: Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions, 2021–2025. Last updated October 4, 2026. flatratenexus.com · Privacy · Terms