Objective findings come first

Under §4.87, DC 6204, peripheral vestibular disorders have two compensable levels:

And then a gate that sits in front of both: objective findings supporting the diagnosis of vestibular disequilibrium are required before a compensable evaluation can be assigned.

That is the thing to deal with first. A detailed account of dizziness, however accurate, does not reach 10% without objective findings behind it. Vestibular testing is what supplies them, and if none is in the record that is the gap to close before anything else.

Hearing is rated separately

The code's note directs that hearing impairment or suppuration is separately rated and combined with the vestibular evaluation. These are different findings on different tests, and one does not stand in for the other.

So an ear complaint can involve several distinct issues at once — dizziness, hearing loss, tinnitus — each with its own code, its own evidence, and its own answer. Reporting several symptoms together does not mean they share one diagnosis or one evaluation.

What to document

Vestibular test results with dates. Episodes of dizziness: when, how long, what you were doing, whether you staggered or fell. Treatment and its effect. Any audiometric testing, kept distinct from the vestibular findings.

The ear DBQ covers the conditions within its stated scope.

Reviewed October 6, 2026