Citation Nr: 21075578 Decision Date: 12/20/21 Archive Date: 12/20/21 DOCKET NO. 17-28 729 DATE: December 20, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded. Entitlement to an evaluation in excess of 50 percent for PTSD with alcohol use disorder is remanded. Entitlement to total disability due to individual unemployability is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty from January 10, 2012 to May 1, 2015. This matter comes before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from a July 2015 rating decision of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In July 2021, the Veteran testified at a Board hearing before the undersigned Veterans Law Judge. A transcript of the hearing has been associated with the claims file. 1. Entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded. The Veteran contends that he has bilateral hearing loss. For the purposes of applying the laws administered by VA, hearing loss will be considered to be a disability when the auditory threshold in any of the frequencies 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 Hertz is 40 decibels or greater; or when the auditory thresholds for at least three of the frequencies 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, or 4000 Hertz are 26 decibels or greater; or when speech recognition scores using the Maryland CNC Test are less than 94 percent. 38 CFR § 3.385. The Veteran's VA treatment records from June 2017 indicate that the Veteran was experiencing difficulties hearing in classes due to his bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. The Board notes that the Veteran's service treatment records showed significant threshold shifts during service that appeared to improve somewhat following service. Given the Veteran's continued difficulties hearing, the Board finds that it needs an updated audiometric evaluation in order to make a fully informed decision. 2. Entitlement to an evaluation in excess of 50 percent for PTSD with alcohol use disorder is remanded. The Veteran contends that his current PTSD symptoms warrant a rating higher than 50 percent. Specifically, the Veteran contends that his recurrent suicidal ideation warrants at least a 70 percent rating. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for PTSD must be remanded for a new examination as the previous examination is out of date. When available evidence is too old for an adequate evaluation of the Veteran's current disability, VA's duty to assist includes providing a more current examination. Weggenmann v. Brown, 5 Vet. App. 281 (1993). In that regard, the Board notes that the Veteran's most recent psychiatric examination is from September 2017, and that this examination is too old for an adequate evaluation of the Veteran's PTSD. Accordingly, this case must be remanded so that a new VA examination may be obtained. Additionally, the Board is without updated VA medical records which could further shed light on the Veteran's present PTSD. The most recent treatment records in the file are from 2017. As it appears that the Board does not presently have a complete record of the Veteran's VA medical records, remand is necessary so the records may be obtained and associated with the claims file. See Sullivan v. McDonald, 815 F.3d 786 (2016); see also Bell v. Derwinski, 2 Vet. App. 611, 613 (1992). 3. Entitlement to total disability due to individual unemployability is remanded. Finally, because a decision on the remanded issues of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and entitlement to an evaluation in excess of 50 percent for PTSD could significantly impact a decision on the issue of entitlement tot TDIU, the issues are inextricably intertwined. A remand of the claims for TDIU is required. The matters are REMANDED for the following action: 1. Obtain updated VA treatment records for the Veteran. 2. Schedule the Veteran for an updated VA examination for his bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. The examiner must review the claims file. If a diagnosis cannot be provided but the Veteran's condition manifests in symptoms that cause functional impairment, then the examiner should consider them a "disability" for the purpose of providing the requested opinion(s) below. The examiner is asked to provide a response to the following: Does the Veteran have hearing loss for VA purposes? Is the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss at least as likely as not related to service, including exposure to acoustic trauma while deployed during service? Provide a rationale to support the opinion(s). 3. Schedule the Veteran for an examination by an appropriate clinician to determine the current severity of his service-connected PTSD. 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 including the Veteran's past hospitalization for suicidal ideation and any current suicidal ideation. The examiner should also consider the October 2021 private psychological evaluation. The examiner must attempt to elicit information regarding the severity, frequency, and duration of symptoms. To the extent possible, the examiner should identify any symptoms and social and occupational impairment due to his PTSD alone. 4. After the above development, and any additionally indicated development, has been completed, readjudicate the issues on appeal, including the inextricably intertwined issue of entitlement to TDIU. If the benefit sought is not granted to the Veteran's satisfaction, send the Veteran and his representative a Supplemental Statement of the Case and provide an opportunity to respond. If necessary, return the case to the Board for further appellate review. L. M. BARNARD Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans' Appeals Attorney for the Board M.D. Taylor, 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.