Citation Nr: 21011056
Decision Date: 02/26/21	Archive Date: 02/26/21

DOCKET NO. 19-14 853A
DATE: February 26, 2021

REMANDED

Entitlement to a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded.

REASONS FOR REMAND

The Veteran served on active duty from June 1963 to May 1967.  This matter comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) from an April 2018 rating decision of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO).

In January 2021, the Veteran testified at a Board hearing before the undersigned Veterans Law Judge.  A transcript of that hearing is of record.

This appeal has been advanced on the Board’s docket pursuant to 38 U.S.C. § 7107(a)(2); 38 C.F.R. § 20.902(c).

1. Entitlement to a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded.

The Veteran is seeking a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss.  

During the Veteran’s last VA examination in April 2019, the examiner determined pure tone threshold and speech discrimination testing could not be performed.  The examiner explained that the Veteran’s test results were invalid as pure tone testing was not in agreement with speech reception thresholds, and that his responses were inconsistent despite reinstruction. While a private audiology examination report was submitted, the results were provided in graph form and not interpreted by the audiologist. Thus, they are not acceptable for rating purposes. Accordingly, the Board finds that a remand is necessary to obtain a new VA examination.

The matters are REMANDED for the following action:

1. Schedule the Veteran for a VA audiological examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected hearing loss.  The claims file must be reviewed by the examiner in conjunction with the examination. All tests deemed necessary should be conducted, and all clinical findings should be reported in detail.

2. If the claim remains denied, issue a supplemental statement of the case.

 

 

K. A. BANFIELD

Veterans Law Judge

Board of Veterans’ Appeals

Attorney for the Board	A. Lance, 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 This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.