Citation Nr: 21014053 Decision Date: 03/11/21 Archive Date: 03/11/21 DOCKET NO. 19-25 965 DATE: March 11, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty in the United States Air Force from March 1962 to December 1966 with service during the Vietnam Era. This matter is before the Board of Veterans’ Appeal (Board) on appeal from an August 2018 rating decision issued by the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO). As to the above appeal, the matter was denied in an October 2019 Board decision. However, the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) vacated the denial and remanded the matter for additional development in a November 2020 Joint Motion. Entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss is remanded. The Veteran is seeking service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran contends that he was exposed to noise coming from aircraft engines when working as a supply clerk in a hangar of an airfield. As noted above, this claim was remanded by CAVC in November 2020 for action consistent with the terms of the parties' Joint Motion. The Joint Motion identified the failure of the October 2019 Board decision to (1) to consider the Veteran’s statements concerning the contradictory aspects of the 2006 IOM report, (2) to consider the Veteran’s assertion that he used hearing protection when engaging in his post-service occupations, which included significant noise exposure, (3) failure of the VA examiner to attempt to convert the Veteran’s 1966 audiogram from ASA to ISO-ANSI. See November 2020 CAVC Decision. As such, the Board will remand the claim for a new VA examination and VA medical opinions addressing the issues highlighted in the November 2020 Joint Motion. Under these circumstances, the Board will not proceed with final adjudication of the claims until a competent medical opinion with supporting rationale is obtained that adequately addresses the etiology of the Veteran’s claimed disability. McLendon v. Nicholson, 20 Vet. App. 79 (2006). The matters are REMANDED for the following action: Schedule the Veteran for an appropriate VA examination to determine the nature and possible relationship to service of his claimed bilateral hearing loss. The evidence of record, to include a copy of this Remand, must be made available to the examiner and the examiner must indicate that the pertinent medical records and lay statements have been reviewed. Following a review of the record, the examiner must address the following: Is it at least likely as not that bilateral hearing loss is related to the Veteran’s active duty service? The VA examiner must consider the Veteran’s contentions that he was exposed to hazardous noise during his active duty service. The VA examiner must also consider that the Veteran used hearing protection when in engaging in his post-service hazardous noise occupations. The VA examiner must address the Veteran’s contention concerning the validity of the 2006 IOM report. The Veteran has cited that the National Institute of Health found that noise-induced hearing loss can take a long time to be noticeable. Additionally, the Veteran asserts that his ears could have suffered permanent structural damage during his service because his inner ear was not examined microscopically. The Board asks the VA examiner to convert the Veteran’s 1966 audiogram from ASA to ISO-ANSI. Evan M. Deichert Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney for the Board J.R. Higgins, 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.