Josh, in the VA hearing
calculator, tinnitus and hearing loss are rated separately.
There are two tests you must take. A controlled speech discrimination test (also called the Maryland CNC test) to evaluate speech recognition ability, and a pure tone audiometry test to evaluate your hearing loss level.
I was service connected for 0% in the speech discrimination test but it continually got worse. Went back about 2 years ago, at my wife's insistence, and retested, on speech discrimination test. 82% ability on words in Left ear and 78% ability on words left ear.
Because your brain deciphers sound based on 'current' hearing ability, the more loss and/or the more freqs are masked by the tinnitus, your brain can't decipher as well, 'speech discrimination'.
Oh by the way, once your brain 'looses' it's ability to discriminate speech, its gone. Told that by two different audiologists.
What's your score (per ear) on the speech discrimination hearing test? Not to get rated but it helps the VA hearing specialists figure out a better way forward to improve your life, by hearing what ppl are saying to you.
My $.02.