Will the VA cut tinnitus and sleep apnea ratings? Proposed vs. paused vs. protected

The short answer: no, the VA has not cut tinnitus or sleep apnea ratings. Both changes come from proposed rules published February 15, 2022 that were never finalized. Today's 10% tinnitus rating and 50% sleep-apnea (CPAP) rating are still in effect, and even if the VA finalizes new criteria someday, existing ratings are protected.

Information verified through July 23, 2026

If you've seen a video or forum post warning you to "file before the VA cuts the 10% tinnitus rating" or "before the sleep apnea 50% CPAP rule ends," here is the calm, accurate version: as of July 23, 2026, the VA has not cut either one. Both changes come from proposed rules the VA published back on February 15, 2022. Neither has been finalized. The 10% rating for tinnitus and the 50% rating for sleep apnea treated with a breathing-assistance device such as a CPAP are still in effect today, and every claim filed right now is decided under the current rules. Just as important: even if the VA finalizes these changes someday, veterans who already hold those ratings are protected — the VA said in writing that no current rating will be reduced because the schedule changed. Here is what was actually proposed, where it stands, and how it touches Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC).

What the VA actually proposed in 2022

On February 15, 2022, the VA published proposed updates to the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities (the "rating schedule," or VASRD) covering the auditory, respiratory, and mental-disorder body systems. The VA framed all of it as modernization — updating decades-old criteria to "incorporate modern medical data and terminology." Three pieces of that proposal are the ones veterans worry about.

Tinnitus

Today, tinnitus (ringing in the ears) gets its own diagnostic code — DC 6260 — with a single 10% evaluation, whether it affects one ear or both. The 2022 proposal would delete that standalone code and instead evaluate tinnitus as a symptom of the underlying condition that causes it — for example, hearing loss, Ménière's disease, or a traumatic brain injury — rather than as a stand-alone disability. Learn how tinnitus fits a combat-related claim on our CRSC for tinnitus page.

Sleep apnea

Today, obstructive sleep apnea is rated under DC 6847, and the level most people know is 50%: a veteran who requires a breathing-assistance device such as a CPAP machine is rated 50%. The 2022 proposal would move sleep apnea to a treatment-responsiveness model — evaluating it by how well treatment controls the condition rather than by the mere fact that a device was prescribed. As proposed, a veteran whose CPAP fully resolves symptoms could receive a lower evaluation than today's automatic 50%, while a veteran who cannot tolerate or benefit from treatment could support a higher one. The exact percentages live in the proposed formula and are not final. See CRSC for sleep apnea for how it can qualify as combat-related.

Mental health (the related third piece)

The same 2022 package proposed a more holistic mental-health evaluation, including a 10% minimum for any service-connected mental-health condition and removing the requirement of "total occupational and social impairment" to reach 100%. Some of these changes would help claimants — a useful reminder that "rating change" does not automatically mean "rating cut."

Proposed, paused, or protected? Where each really stands

Proposed — not law. More than three years after they were published, these remain proposed rules. No final rule has been issued for tinnitus or sleep apnea, so the current schedule still governs every decision. "Proposed" is not "in effect."

The VA's most recent move didn't advance them. On September 12, 2024, the VA issued a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking in the same docket — but its only purpose was to add a new diagnostic code (DC 6605) for constrictive or obliterative bronchiolitis, a burn-pit condition recognized under the PACT Act. The document is explicit that the bronchiolitis code "is the only proposal of this SNPRM" and that it "does not change VA's proposal for the General Rating Formula." That comment window closed October 15, 2024. So even the VA's latest action in this area left tinnitus and sleep apnea exactly where they were.

Why the "file before the deadline" panic keeps coming back

Because the proposals are real, old, and easy to rediscover. Every few months someone finds the 2022 rule, posts "the 50% CPAP rating is ending — file now," and the urgency spreads. But there is no published deadline, because there is no final rule to have a deadline. Filing a brand-new claim for a condition you do not actually have, just to "beat" a rumored change, is the wrong reason to file — and a thin claim helps no one. The flip side is also true: if you have a real, current condition, there is never a good reason to sit on it. File on the merits, not on a rumor.

What this has to do with your CRSC

CRSC is the tax-free payment that gives back retired pay the VA waiver takes away — but only for the disabilities your branch rules combat-related, and it is paid by DFAS, not the VA. Your CRSC is the lesser of two numbers: the VA-table dollar value of your combat-related conditions, or the retired pay you waived (for a Chapter 61 medical retiree, the longevity portion). We walk through that math in how CRSC is actually calculated.

Because the VA percentage of each combat-related condition feeds the first number, it is fair to ask: if a future tinnitus or sleep-apnea rating were lower, could that shrink a CRSC award? In theory yes — but three qualifiers make it a narrow, future-only concern:

• It only affects veterans rated under new rules. If you already hold the rating, it is grandfathered — and so is its role in your CRSC.
• The condition has to be combat-related. Blast- and weapons-noise tinnitus is frequently combat-related. Sleep apnea, by contrast, is often not combat-related on its own — it usually reaches CRSC only through a combat-related nexus, such as being secondary to a combat-related condition like PTSD. If a condition is not in your combat-related picture, its rating rules do not move your CRSC at all.
• The VA value has to be the binding number. For many Chapter 61 retirees, the longevity cap — not the VA-table value — sets the check. When the cap controls, a single condition's percentage does not change the payment. (See how the VA rates feed your CRSC cap.)

The takeaway for CRSC recipients: the retirees who are actually anxious about these headlines — people already receiving CRSC — are not losing anything. If these rules ever land, it is a future-applicant issue, and even then only sometimes relevant.

What this means for military retirees

Don't let a three-year-old proposal rush your decisions. Current tinnitus and sleep-apnea ratings are in effect, existing awards are protected, and the CRSC built on your current ratings is safe. File real claims when you have them, keep clean records, and judge any future rule by the final text — not by a clip designed to make you panic.

What you should do now

• If you have current tinnitus or sleep-apnea symptoms and no claim, file on the merits — because the condition is real and service-connected, not because of a rumored deadline.
• If you already hold the rating, you don't need to do anything to "lock it in." It's grandfathered.
• If a combat-related condition (like blast-related tinnitus) is part of your disability picture, make sure it is captured and documented in your CRSC packet — that is where combat-related value is won or lost. See where most CRSC packets die and confirm the basics on CRSC eligibility.
• Run your numbers. Use our free CRSC calculator to see whether the VA-table value or the longevity cap controls your award — that tells you whether any single condition's rating even matters to your check.
• Not sure how a condition fits? Start with your branch guide, for example Army CRSC, or ask us for a packet review.

Frequently asked questions

The bottom line

The tinnitus and sleep-apnea "cuts" are still 2022 proposals that have never become law. As of July 23, 2026, current ratings are in effect and existing awards are protected. File real claims on their merits, and for CRSC, rest easy that the combat-related ratings already behind your award are grandfathered. Judge any future change by its final text — not by a countdown that doesn't exist.