Citation Nr: 20021032 Decision Date: 03/24/20 Archive Date: 03/24/20 DOCKET NO. 16-62 799 DATE: March 24, 2020 REMANDED The issue of a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty from August 1952 to August 1957. This matter comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from a rating decision issued by a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO). In February 2020, the Veteran testified at a hearing before the Board. Further development is necessary regarding the Veteran’s claim for an increased rating for his bilateral hearing loss. During the course of the appeal, the Veteran has been afforded one VA examination in October 2015 to assess the nature and severity of his bilateral hearing loss. Since this examination, the Veteran has submitted a July 2019 private audiometry examination with similar puretone threshold results as the October 2015 VA examination; however, it is not clear whether the speech discrimination test used the Maryland CNC list. For VA hearing impairment rating purposes, the regulations require use of the Maryland CNC speech discrimination list. Therefore, the results of the July 2019 private audiometry examination are not useful for rating purposes. Furthermore, during the February 2020 Board hearing, the Veteran asserted that since the July 2019 private audiometry examination, his hearing has not gotten any better. In fact, he testified that over the years, his hearing has worsened. See February 2020 Board hearing transcript, p. 3. The Veteran’s most recent medical examination is nearly five years old and he has stated that his disability has increased in severity. As the record indicates a potential worsening of the Veteran’s disability and because of the passage of time, a new examination is warranted to assess the present severity of the Veteran’s bilateral hearing loss. Snuffer v. Gober, 10 Vet. App. 400 (1997). The matters are REMANDED for the following action: Schedule the Veteran for a VA examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss. The examiner should provide a full description of the disability and report all signs and symptoms necessary for evaluating the Veteran’s disability under the rating criteria. JAMES L. MARCH Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney for the Board S. Griffith The Board’s decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.