A "Low Probability" MOS Does Not Automatically Sink Your Tinnitus Claim

Veterans check their military job against the VA's noise exposure listing, see "low probability," and assume their tinnitus or hearing loss claim is dead before it starts. That listing isn't the only door into a claim.

Since 2010, under VA Fast Letter 10-35, the VA uses something called the Duty MOS Noise Exposure Listing to sort military jobs into highly probable, moderate, or low probability of hazardous noise exposure. If your listed job falls into highly probable or moderate, the VA concedes you were exposed to hazardous noise in service, without you having to independently prove it happened.

Most people stop reading there and miss the flip side. Board decisions have specifically noted that this listing is not exclusive, meaning a "low probability" primary MOS doesn't end the inquiry. Plenty of veterans had noise exposure that had nothing to do with their main job title: weapons qualification ranges, TDY assignments, additional duties, working near a flight line or motor pool even when it wasn't your primary role. That kind of exposure can still be established through your own statement, buddy statements from people who served alongside you, or other service records, even when your listed MOS itself shows low.

There's a second thing worth knowing that cuts the other way. Getting your exposure conceded, whether through the listing or through other evidence, isn't the finish line either. You still need a current diagnosis and a medical nexus connecting that exposure to your condition today. Conceded exposure gets you a C&P exam and a fair shot at that nexus being established. It doesn't grant the claim by itself.

The bottom line is this: check the listing, but don't let it be the only argument in your file either way. A low rating there is a starting point to build around, not a final answer.

What was your MOS, and did the listing match what you actually experienced in service?