Citation Nr: 21062424 Decision Date: 10/07/21 Archive Date: 10/07/21 DOCKET NO. 19-03 408A DATE: October 7, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty from September 1973 to September 1976. The matter comes before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from a December 2017 rating decision by a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO). The Veteran testified at a hearing before the undersigned Veterans Law Judge (VLJ) in March 2021. The hearing transcript is of record. Entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded. Although further delay is regrettable, the Board finds that additional development is necessary prior to appellate review. Specifically, a remand is warranted in order to obtain an addendum medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran underwent a VA examination in December 2017, and the VA examiner opined against service connection. The record shows that following the December 2017 VA examination, VA received pertinent evidence regarding the onset of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. Specifically, the Veteran testified regarding the onset of his bilateral hearing loss in the March 2021 Board hearing, and the Veteran's wife submitted a lay statement in April 2021 regarding the onset of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran and his wife stated that his hearing loss began a few years following separation from service. His wife also stated that the condition grew progressively worse. See April 2021 buddy statement. As the medical opinion of record does not address the pertinent lay evidence received following the examination, remand is warranted. The matter is REMANDED for the following action: 1. Obtain updated VA treatment records. 2. Thereafter, obtain an addendum opinion from the VA examiner who performed the December 2017 examination or an appropriate medical professional if the examiner is unavailable. The claims file, as updated, must be made available to and reviewed by the examiner. A new examination of the Veteran is only necessary if deemed so by the examiner. The examiner is asked to opine on whether it is as least as likely as not (a 50 percent probability or greater) that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is etiologically related to the Veteran's active service. The examiner should also opine on whether the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss at least as likely as not (1) began during active service, (2) manifested within one year after discharge from service, or (3) was noted during service with continuity of the same symptomatology since service. The Board calls the examiner's attention to the lay statements of the Veteran and his spouse regarding the onset of hearing loss symptoms a few years after discharge from service. See March 2021 Board hearing; April 2021 buddy statement. A complete rationale should be given for all opinions and conclusions expressed. If the examiner cannot provide an opinion without resort to speculation, the examiner should provide an explanation as to why this is so and must state whether there is additional evidence that would permit the necessary opinion to be made. D. Martz Ames Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans' Appeals Attorney for the Board M. Minaya, Associate Counsel 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.