Citation Nr: 21070453 Decision Date: 11/24/21 Archive Date: 11/24/21 DOCKET NO. 18-42 456 DATE: November 24, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded. Entitlement to service connection for vision loss is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty in the United States Army from September 1982 to June 1996, to include over 3 years of foreign service. For his meritorious service, the Veteran was awarded (among other decorations) the Army Commendation Medal and the Army Achievement Medal. This matter comes before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from a rating decision issued in July 2017 by a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO). The Veteran appeared for a hearing before the undersigned Veterans Law Judge in July 2021. A transcript of the hearing is of record. 1. Entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded. The Veteran asserts he is entitled to service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to hazardous noise exposure. The Veteran's most recent VA examination for hearing loss, in March 2017, revealed that, while the Veteran had hearing loss, it was not to the level of severity required to be considered a disability for VA purposes. During the July 2021 Board hearing, the Veteran indicated that his hearing has continued to deteriorate since his last VA examination. The Veteran is competent to report on factual matters and observable symptoms of which he has firsthand knowledge, and the Board finds that the Veteran is credible. As such, a new VA examination is warranted to determine the current severity of the Veteran's hearing loss. 2. Entitlement to service connection for vision loss is remanded. The Veteran asserts that he is entitled to service connection for vision loss. During his Board hearing, the Veteran testified that he injured his eyes during an in-service football game and that his eyesight has been diminishing ever since. He stated he was diagnosed with keratoconus by Dr. J. Williams at the McDonald's Federal Hospital in Phoenix while attempting to join the National Guard in 2007; and also received private treatment for his eye condition post-service at Walmart Optical. As the identified records may contain information pertinent to his claims, the Board finds a remand to obtain these records is required. The matters are REMANDED for the following action: 1. Ask the Veteran to complete a VA Form 21-4142 to allow VA to obtain any records of private treatment for his vision loss. Make two requests for any authorized records unless it is clear after the first request that a second request would be futile. 2. Obtain the Veteran's complete National Guard records, including the examination completed by Dr. J. Williams at the McDonald's Federal Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. 3. Schedule the Veteran for a VA examination for his bilateral hearing loss. The examiner must review the claims file. The examiner is asked to provide a response to the following: Is the Veteran's hearing loss at least as likely as not related to service, including exposure to hazardous noise? Provide a rationale to support the opinion(s). Evan M. Deichert Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans' Appeals Attorney for the Board C. K. Hall, 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.