At the March 29, 2012 Board of Directors meeting, the Board of Directors approved amendments to policy item #31.00, Hearing Loss, of the Rehabilitation Services and Claims Manual, Volume II, to provide that permanent disability awards for tinnitus are available where tinnitus is a compensable consequence of noise-induced hearing loss, in the range of 0% to 5% of total disability when assessed under the loss of function method. 

These changes came into effect on June 1, 2012, and apply to all decisions made on or after that date.