Citation Nr: 18160098
Decision Date: 12/21/18	Archive Date: 12/21/18

DOCKET NO. 16-20 356
DATE:	December 21, 2018
REMANDED
Entitlement to a rating in excess of 10 percent disabling for service-connected bilateral hearing loss, is remanded.
REASONS FOR REMAND
The Veteran served on active duty in the United States Air Force from September 1963 to July 1967.
Although the Board regrets the delay, a remand is necessary to ensure that due process is followed and that there is a complete record upon which to decide the Veteran’s claim so that he is afforded every possible consideration.  38 U.S.C. § 5103A; 38 C.F.R. § 3.159.
Here, the Board finds that the Veteran’s claim for an increased rating for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss must be remanded in order to afford him a contemporaneous VA examination in order to assess the current nature and severity of his service-connected disability.  
In this regard, the record reflects that the Veteran was most recently afforded a VA examination in January 2014, nearly 5 years ago.  Since that time, the Veteran has reported an increase in the severity of his symptoms and alleges that a higher rating is warranted.  
In light of the allegations of worsening symptoms and the amount of time which has passed since the Veteran’s prior examination, the Board finds that remand is required in order to afford the Veteran a contemporaneous VA examination so as to determine his current level of impairment with regard to his bilateral hearing loss.  See Snuffer v. Gober, 10 Vet. App. 400 (1997); Caffrey v. Brown, 6 Vet. App. 377 (1994); VAOPGCPREC 11-95 (1995).
Due to the amount of time which will pass on remand, updated treatment records should be obtained and associated with the record. 
The matter is REMANDED for the following action:
1.  Obtain updated and any outstanding treatment records.
2.  After obtaining all outstanding records, the Veteran should be afforded an appropriate VA examination to determine the current nature and severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.
 
JEREMY J. OLSEN
Acting Veterans Law Judge
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD	J. Unger, Associate Counsel