Citation Nr: 18152974
Decision Date: 11/26/18	Archive Date: 11/26/18

DOCKET NO. 16-49 347
DATE:	November 26, 2018
REMANDED
Entitlement to an initial compensable rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss is remanded.
REASONS FOR REMAND
The Veteran served on active duty from February 1969 through June 1972.
The Veteran contends that his hearing loss warrants an increased, compensable rating.  The Veteran’s representative asserted in the July 2018 appellate brief that the Veteran should be entitled to a new VA examination to evaluate the severity of his hearing loss, as he was last afforded a VA examination in February 2014.  
The Veteran submitted an audiogram conducted at a VA facility in October 2016.  However, the contemporaneous audiology treatment notes have not been obtained.  Furthermore, while a speech recognition test was conducted using the Maryland CNC word list, the speech recognition scores are confusingly reported, so it is not clear which figure represents the actual score.  Also, the information shown is drastically different than the results obtained two years earlier.  In 2014, the Veteran’s speech recognition in the right ear was 88 percent, while the 2016 test indicated it was either 72 or 81 percent (depending on which score represents speech recognition testing).  As for the left ear, the Veteran’s speech recognition was 94 percent in 2014, while the 2016 test indicated it was either 70 or 88 percent (depending on which score represents speech recognition testing).  Considering the confusing way the speech testing scores are reported and the marked difference between those and the prior official VA examination, there is a concern about the validity of the 2016 test.  
The matter is REMANDED for the following action:
1. Obtain the Veteran’s VA treatment records for the period from April 2016 to the present.  This should include the full audiology report from October 2016, which might be separately maintained in “Tools” in the medical records.  
2. Schedule the Veteran for an examination to determine the current severity of his bilateral hearing loss.  The examiner should review the 2016 audiology report and, if possible, indicate which figures represent the speech discrimination scores that should be used to evaluate the Veteran’s disability (the 2016 test shows either 72 or 81 percent for the right ear and either 70 or 88 percent for the left ear).    
 
MICHELLE L. KANE
Veterans Law Judge
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD	A. Parsons, Associate Counsel