Citation Nr: 18158360
Decision Date: 12/14/18	Archive Date: 12/14/18

DOCKET NO. 16-56 009
DATE:	December 14, 2018
ORDER
Service connection for left ear hearing loss is granted.
REMANDED
Entitlement to an initial compensable rating for right ear hearing loss is remanded.
FINDING OF FACT
The Veteran’s left ear hearing loss had its onset in service.
CONCLUSION OF LAW
The criteria for service connection for left ear hearing loss have been met.  38 U.S.C. §§ 1110, 5107(b) (2012); 38 C.F.R. §§ 3.303, 3.307, 3.309, 3.385 (2017).

REASONS AND BASES FOR FINDING AND CONCLUSION
The Veteran had active duty from July 1961 to January 1965.   
This matter comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from an August 2014 rating decision issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO) in Waco, Texas.
Service connection for left ear hearing loss is granted.
The Veteran seeks service connection for left ear hearing loss, which he contends began in service and has been recurrent since that time.  The Veteran is in receipt of service connection for right ear hearing loss.
All three elements of service connection are established by the competent and credible lay and medical evidence of record.  38 U.S.C. §§ 1110, 1131; 38 C.F.R. § 3.303; Shedden v. Principi, 381 F.3d 1163, 1166-67 (Fed. Cir. 2004).  The Veteran has a diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss and reports ongoing bilateral hearing loss since unprotected exposure to loud noise in service, to include noise from jet engines, firearms, and explosions during training exercises.  See, e.g., Statement (March 5, 2018).  While his duties were largely administrative, he served as a security guard at Lincoln Air Force Base, during which time he credibly reported unprotected exposure to jet engine noise on the flight line.  See, e.g., Chronological Listing of Service and Statement (March 5, 2018).
Further, the competent and credible evidence of record shows that his current left ear hearing loss had its onset during service and has been recurrent since that time.  The Veteran reported that he first noticed hearing loss during service and that such has gotten worse over the years.  See, e.g., Statement (March 5, 2018).  The Veteran is competent to report the onset and continuation of his hearing loss symptoms and the Board finds his reports credible.  See Charles v. Principi, 16 Vet. App. 370, 374 (2002); see also Layno v. Brown, 6 Vet. App. 465 (1994); Jandreau v. Nicholson, 492 F.3d 1372 (Fed. Cir. 2007).  The Board notes that the May 2014 VA examiner opined that the Veteran’s current left ear hearing loss is not related to service; however, the opinion carries no weight as it is predicated on the absence of objective evidence of in-service hearing loss without regard to the Veteran’s report of symptoms since service.  Overall, after resolving any doubt in the Veteran’s favor, the evidence shows that the Veteran’s current left ear hearing loss had its onset in service.  Accordingly, service connection is warranted.  See Flynn v. Brown, 6 Vet. App. 500, 503 (1994).
REASONS FOR REMAND
Entitlement to an initial compensable rating for right ear hearing loss is remanded.
Service connection is now in effect for bilateral hearing loss and reexamination is needed to ascertain the current severity of the Veteran’s current bilateral hearing loss as the evidence suggests that such has worsened since his most recent VA examination in April 2017 and for RO to evaluate the bilateral disability in the first instance.  In addition, a comparison of audiological test results generated during the April 2017 VA examination and the recent February 2018 private audiological examination appear to show a significant decrease in hearing acuity.
 

The matter is REMANDED for the following action:
Schedule the Veteran for an examination by an appropriate clinician to determine the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.  
 
STEVEN D. REISS
Veterans Law Judge
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD	Joshua Castillo, Counsel