Citation Nr: 21007978 Decision Date: 02/11/21 Archive Date: 02/11/21 DOCKET NO. 15-23 850 DATE: February 11, 2021 REMANDED A rating higher than 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran had active service in the U.S. Navy from July 1973 to July 1976, and active service in the U.S. Marine Corps from October 1976 to October 1994. This matter comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from a September 2013 rating decision. It was previously remanded by the Board in October 2018 for additional development. The Board previously remanded this appeal to obtain the Veteran’s VA treatment records, included audiometric testing conducted as part of the treatment for his hearing loss. Unfortunately, the specific puretone thresholds and speech recognition scores generated as part of that testing, which could be used to rate his hearing loss, are not available. This includes a recent visit in February 2020. See June 2020 Exchange of Beneficiary Information; September 2020 Report of General Information. The Veteran last underwent a VA examination for his hearing loss in May 2014. The Veteran submitted private audiometric test results from September 2019, but these do not utilize the Maryland CNC speech recognition standard as required by VA’s Rating Schedule. Although the specific test results from February 2020 are not available, the entry in the Veteran’s VA treatement record state that there was a change of up to 15 dB in his left ear for frequencies below 1.5 KHz. This indicates that the Veteran’s condition has worsened. Because his condition appears to have worsened, and because the most recent testing data that is compatible with the rating criteria is from May 2014, a new examination should be obtained. The matter is REMANDED for the following action: Schedule the Veteran for an examination by an appropriate clinician to determine the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss. The examiner should provide a full description of the Veteran’s hearing loss and report all signs and symptoms associated with it. JOHN Z. JONES Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney for the Board Shamil Patel, 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 This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.