Citation Nr: 21063396 Decision Date: 10/14/21 Archive Date: 10/14/21 DOCKET NO. 16-16 000 DATE: October 14, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to a compensable initial rating for left ear hearing loss is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty in the United States Air Force from March 1986 to March 1990. This matter comes to the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) from a June 2015 rating decision which, in pertinent part, granted entitlement to service connection for left ear hearing loss, evaluated as noncompensable, effective March 6, 2014. In September 2018 and June 2020, the Board remanded the matter for further development, to include obtaining outstanding private treatment records and a VA examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's left ear hearing loss. In May 2021, the Board again remanded the matter for further development. The Board found that VA complied with the Board's September 2018 and June 2020 remand directive to contact the ENT Associates of San Diego and request they verify whether the Maryland CNC test was utilized in determining the Veteran's speech discrimination scores during an August 2015 audiological evaluation. The Board held that VA complied with its duty to assist the Veteran in the development of her claims and that any further attempts to determine whether the Maryland CNC test was used during the August 2015 audiological evaluation would be futile. Specifically, evidence indicates that there may be outstanding relevant VA treatment records. A remand was further warranted to obtain audiology records subsequent to February 2021 that were not associated with the record. Specifically, a February 2021 VA audiology note reflects that VA performed an audiological case history interview and scheduled the Veteran for a comprehensive audiological evaluation. Entitlement to a compensable initial rating for left ear hearing loss is remanded. Regrettably, a remand is necessary for further evidentiary development of the Veteran's increased rating claim on appeal. The Veteran was provided a VA audio examination in July 2019. In February 2021, the Veteran conducted a VA audiological case history interview for her left ear hearing loss disability and requested a hearing aid, which was to be pursued pending the completion of a diagnostic hearing exam diagnosing a sensorineural hearing loss which meets VA hearing aid candidacy criteria. See February 2021 CAPRI Records. The Veteran was to be afforded a subsequent VA hearing loss examination. However, in a September 2021 Correspondence letter, the Veteran stated that she was never contacted again to schedule a VA examination for her left ear hearing loss and regarding her request for a hearing aid. There are no further VA treatment records in the claims file that show there was further correspondence or treatment regarding the Veteran's increased rating for left ear hearing loss claim. Therefore, as the Veteran as not been afforded a contemporaneous VA examination to ascertain the severity of her left ear hearing loss, the Board finds that an examination is warranted before adjudication. The matters are REMANDED for the following action: 1. Obtain any outstanding VA audiology treatment records from February 2021 to the present. After obtaining the necessary authorization forms from the Veteran, obtain any pertinent records and associate them with claims file. 2. Schedule the Veteran for an examination (or telehealth interview, review of the record, etc. if an in-person examination is not feasible) by an appropriate clinician to determine the current severity of her service-connected left ear hearing loss. To the extent possible, the examiner should identify any symptoms and functional impairments due to left ear hearing loss alone and discuss the effect of the Veteran's left ear hearing loss on any occupational functioning and activities of daily living. STEVEN D. REISS Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans' Appeals Attorney for the Board Zarar Ahmed, Attorney Advisor 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.