Can you complete a tinnitus or hearing-loss DBQ?

No. VA publishes no public hearing-loss or tinnitus DBQ. That examination must be performed by a state-licensed audiologist. An independent medical opinion on connection may still be possible when the record supports it.

What is a VA nexus letter?

A nexus letter is a written medical opinion that answers whether a veteran’s current condition is connected to military service. The VA standard is “at least as likely as not,” meaning 50 percent or greater. Line of Duty Medical writes these as independent medical opinions after a physician reviews the complete claims file.

Tinnitus and Hearing Loss Nexus Letter

Veterans are told to “get a tinnitus DBQ.” VA does not publish one. The examination belongs to a state-licensed audiologist. What a physician can still write is an independent medical opinion on connection, when the record supports it.

Independent medical opinionPhysician signedComplete fileNo rating promise

When this helps

An opinion helps when MOS noise, documented threshold shift, or a denied secondary theory is in the file and the rater did not have a reasoned medical explanation. It does not replace an audiogram.

What we do

We read the service treatment record, the audiograms you already have, and the decision. If a connection can be supported, we write the opinion. If the file needs an audiologist, we say that in the review.

What we do not do

We do not complete a hearing-loss or tinnitus DBQ. That examination is not a public form and cannot be done from this office.

The questionnaire

No public hearing-loss or tinnitus DBQ exists. Budget for an audiologist if the open question is the exam, not the nexus.

All-in for one connection is $1,250 after the review credit. Each additional connection is $400. See pricing and FAQ.

Questions we get first

Can you complete a tinnitus or hearing-loss DBQ?: No. VA publishes no public hearing-loss or tinnitus DBQ. That examination must be performed by a state-licensed audiologist. An independent medical opinion on connection may still be possible when the record supports it.
What is a VA nexus letter?: A nexus letter is a written medical opinion that answers whether a veteran’s current condition is connected to military service. The VA standard is “at least as likely as not,” meaning 50 percent or greater. Line of Duty Medical writes these as independent medical opinions after a physician reviews the complete claims file.