Citation Nr: 1327828	
Decision Date: 08/30/13    Archive Date: 09/05/13

DOCKET NO.  11-25 886	)	DATE
	)
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On appeal from the
Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in Winston-Salem, North Carolina


THE ISSUES

1.  Entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss.  

2.  Entitlement to service connection for tinnitus.  


REPRESENTATION

Appellant represented by:	Disabled American Veterans


ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD

M. Zawadzki, Counsel


INTRODUCTION

The Veteran served on active duty from February 1964 to February 1967.  

These matters come before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from a December 2010 rating decision issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in which the RO denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.  

The appeal is REMANDED to the RO via the Appeals Management Center (AMC), in Washington, DC.  VA will notify the appellant if further action is required.


REMAND

Pursuant to 38 C.F.R. § 20.700 (2012), a hearing on appeal will be granted to an appellant who requests a hearing and is willing to appear in person.  See also 38 U.S.C.A. § 7107 (West 2002). 

In his September 2011 VA Form 9 (substantive appeal), the Veteran requested a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the RO (Travel Board hearing).  In August 2013, the Veteran's representative filed a motion to remand the case to afford the Veteran his requested Travel Board hearing.  Accordingly, the case must be remanded to schedule the Veteran for his requested hearing.  

Accordingly, the case is REMANDED for the following action:

Schedule the Veteran for a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the RO.  The RO should notify the Veteran and his representative of the location, date and time of the hearing, in accordance with 38 C.F.R. § 20.704(b) (2012), and should associate a copy of such notice with the claims file.  After the hearing, the claims file should be returned to the Board in accordance with current appellate procedures.

The appellant has the right to submit additional evidence and argument on the matters that the Board has remanded.  Kutscherousky v. West, 12 Vet. App. 369 (1999).

These claims must be afforded expeditious treatment.  The law requires that all claims that are remanded by the Board of Veterans' Appeals or by the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims for additional development or other appropriate action must be handled in an expeditious manner.  See 38 U.S.C.A. §§ 5109B, 7112 (West Supp. 2012).



_________________________________________________
P.M. DILORENZO
Veterans Law Judge, Board of Veterans' Appeals

Under 38 U.S.C.A. § 7252 (West 2002), only a decision of the Board of Veterans' Appeals is appealable to the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.  This remand is in the nature of a preliminary order and does not constitute a decision of the Board on the merits of your appeal.  38 C.F.R. § 20.1100(b) (2012).