Citation Nr: 18161140 Decision Date: 12/28/18 Archive Date: 12/28/18 DOCKET NO. 17-08 569 DATE: December 28, 2018 REMANDED Service connection for left ear hearing loss is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty in the United States Army from February 1970 to February 1972. Although the Board sincerely regrets the additional delay this may cause, further development is necessary prior to the adjudication of this appeal. Here, the Veteran underwent VA examination in March 2016. Although the examiner provided a negative nexus opinion as it relates to the left ear, the Board finds this opinion to be inadequate for its failure to consider a May 1972 audiogram that appears to indicate some degree of high frequency hearing loss. Further, the Veteran has since provided a February 2017 lay statement regarding his history of hearing loss that requires consideration. As such, the Board finds that a remand is now warranted such that an addendum opinion may be obtained. The matter is REMANDED for the following action: Obtain a VA addendum opinion regarding the Veteran’s left ear hearing loss claim. The claims file and a copy of this remand must be made available for review. In particular, the examiner must state whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran’s left ear hearing loss began in service, was caused by service, or is otherwise related to service, to include in-service noise exposure. In doing so, the examiner is asked to explicitly address a May 1972 audiogram and the Veteran’s February 2017 lay statement. Here, the examiner should also opine whether the May 1972 audiogram is indicative of chronic left ear hearing loss that has persisted since that time. A complete rationale should be provided for all opinions or conclusions expressed. It should be noted that the Veteran is competent to attest to observable symptomatology. If there is a medical basis to support or doubt the history provided by the Veteran, the examiner should provide a fully reasoned explanation. Evan M. Deichert Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD K. Kovarovic, Associate Counsel