Citation Nr: 1337546	
Decision Date: 11/18/13    Archive Date: 11/26/13

DOCKET NO.  12-25 234	)	DATE
	)
	)

On appeal from the
Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in Muskogee, Oklahoma


THE ISSUES

1.  Entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss.  

2.  Entitlement to service connection for bilateral tinnitus.  


REPRESENTATION

Appellant represented by:	Mary M. Long, Attorney at Law


ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD

B. R. Mullins, Counsel





INTRODUCTION

The Veteran had active service from February 1955 to February 1958.  

This matter comes before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from an August 2011 rating decision of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO) in Muskogee, Oklahoma, denying the claims currently on appeal.  

The appeal is REMANDED to the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office.  VA will notify the appellant if further action is required.


REMAND

In a statement received by VA in January 2013, the Veteran requested that he be scheduled for a video conference hearing before the Board.  The record does not reflect that the Veteran has been scheduled for his requested hearing.  As such, this claim must be remanded so that the Veteran can be scheduled for his requested hearing.  See 38 C.F.R. § 20.700(a) (2013).  

Accordingly, the case is REMANDED for the following action:

The Veteran should be scheduled for a video conference before a Member of the Board at the earliest opportunity.  Notify the Veteran of the date, time, and location of this hearing, and put a copy of this notification letter in the claims file.  Once the Veteran has been afforded the requested hearing, or in the event that he withdraws his hearing request or fails to appear, the case should be returned to the Board for further appellate consideration.



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

This claim 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).



_________________________________________________
WAYNE M. BRAEUER
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).