Citation Nr: 21011462 Decision Date: 03/01/21 Archive Date: 03/01/21 DOCKET NO. 17-07 109 DATE: March 1, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for right ear hearing loss is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty in the United States Navy from July 1974 to July 1978. A virtual teleconference hearing was held by the undersigned Veterans Law Judge in January 2021. A transcript is of record. 1. Entitlement to service connection for right ear hearing loss is remanded. The Veteran contends that the hearing loss in his right ear was caused by his active duty service. Specifically, the Veteran contends that his work in the ship’s engine room, as well as in the welding and fabricating room, frequently exposed him to loud noises that led to his hearing loss. After a review of the record, the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) find that this matter must be remanded for further development. The Veteran underwent a VA examination for bilateral hearing loss in April 2015, and the examiner opined that the hearing loss in both ears was at least as likely as not related to his active duty service. However, the Veteran’s hearing loss in the right ear did not meet the hearing loss threshold required for VA disability purposes. The Supplemental Statement of the Case issued in September 2019 referenced the Veteran undergoing VA examinations in April 2015, November 2016, and April and June 2018, but the only hearing loss examination in the record is from April 2015. Additionally, the pure tone threshold and speech discrimination results cited in the Supplemental Statement of the Case are seemingly the results from the April 2015 examination. The other examination dates referenced by the Regional Office (RO) were examinations for other medical conditions not related to hearing loss. Nonetheless, the last hearing examination in the record was performed in April 2015, almost six years ago, and it was opined that his right ear hearing loss was related to his active duty service. The Veteran testified at the January 2021 hearing that he can only hear “slightly” out of his right ear and he has to watch TV at very high volumes in order to hear, which suggests that his hearing has worsened since April 2015. The Board finds that an updated audiogram is required in order to decide the appeal. Additionally, the Veteran testified that he initially sought treatment for his hearing loss from a private physician, but those records are not in evidence. The matters are REMANDED for the following action: 1. The RO should attempt to obtain any private treatment records related to hearing loss and offer the Veteran an opportunity to submit any additional evidence. 2. Obtain all outstanding VA treatment records from any facility from which the Veteran received treatment. Specifically, if the Veteran has undergone any audiological testing through the VA, VA audiograms with tonal threshold results should be obtained. 3. If VA examinations for hearing loss were performed in November 2016, April 2018, or June 2018, associate those examinations with the claims file. 4. Schedule the Veteran for a hearing loss examination to obtain right ear tonal thresholds and speech discrimination scores. As a nexus opinion has already been provided, one is not required. B.T. KNOPE Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney for the Board K. Veltri, Associate Counsel