Citation Nr: 18152208 Decision Date: 11/21/18 Archive Date: 11/21/18 DOCKET NO. 16-54 568 DATE: November 21, 2018 REMANDED Entitlement to a compensable evaluation for service-connected bilateral hearing loss is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty from February 1972 to March 1976. He served in the United States Air Force. Entitlement to a compensable evaluation for service-connected bilateral hearing loss Remand is required to obtain a current VA examination. When a claimant asserts, or the evidence indicates, that the severity of a disability has increased since the most recent rating examination, an additional examination is appropriate. VAOPGCPREC 11-95 (April 7, 1995); Snuffer v. Gober, 10 Vet. App. 400 (1997). The most recent VA examination was conducted in July 2014. In a November 2016 substantive appeal, the Veteran alleged that the assessment of the severity of his bilateral hearing loss was decided incorrectly. The Veteran stated his hearing loss had gotten worse over the years. The Veteran also stated that his private audiologist at Pacific Coast Hearing Center had told him over and over again that his hearing loss had gotten worse over the years, and that VAMC Roseburg had also told him that his hearing loss had gotten worse. The Veteran described difficulty hearing high pitched sounds and speaking to people, and with background noise, it is almost impossible for him to hear anything going on around him. The Veteran submitted a July 2015 lay statement from E.B., who stated that it was apparent the Veteran’s hearing had progressively gotten worse, especially during the past year. Because the Veteran has alleged that his condition has worsened since the July 2014 VA examination, a new examination is warranted to determine the current severity of the Veteran’s service-connected bilateral hearing loss. The matter is REMANDED for the following action: 1. Contact the appropriate VA Medical Center and obtain and associate with the claims file all outstanding records of treatment. If any requested records are not available, or the search for any such records otherwise yields negative results, that fact must clearly be documented in the claims file. Efforts to obtain these records must continue until it is determined that they do not exist or that further attempts to obtain them would be futile. The non-existence or unavailability of such records must be verified and this should be documented for the record. Required notice must be provided to the Veteran and his representative. 2. Contact the Veteran and afford him the opportunity to identify by name, address and dates of treatment or examination any relevant medical records. Subsequently, and after securing the proper authorizations where necessary, make arrangements to obtain all the records of treatment or examination from all the sources listed by the Veteran which are not already on file. All information obtained must be made part of the file. All attempts to secure this evidence must be documented in the claims file, and if, after making reasonable efforts to obtain named records, they are not able to be secured, provide the required notice and opportunity to respond to the Veteran and his representative. 3. After any additional records are associated with the claims file, schedule the Veteran for a VA audiology examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss. The entire claims file must be made available to and be reviewed by the examiner. Any indicated tests and studies must be accomplished and all clinical findings must be reported in detail and correlated to a specific diagnosis. An explanation for all opinions expressed must be provided. The examiner is requested to review all pertinent records associated with the claims file, including the Veteran’s private treatment records, post-service VA medical records, and assertions. The examiner must utilize the appropriate Disability Benefits Questionnaire. The examiner must describe the functional effects of the Veteran’s bilateral hearing loss, including on his occupational functioning and daily activities. 4. Notify the Veteran that it is his responsibility to report for any scheduled examination and to cooperate in the development of the claim, and that the consequences for failure to report for a VA examination without good cause may include denial of the claim. 38 C.F.R. §§ 3.158, 3.655 (2018). In the event that the Veteran does not report for any scheduled examination, documentation must be obtained which shows that notice scheduling the examination was sent to the last known address. It must also be indicated whether any notice that was sent was returned as undeliverable. K. MILLIKAN Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD P. Nguyen, Associate Counsel