Citation Nr: 21024669 Decision Date: 04/23/21 Archive Date: 04/23/21 DOCKET NO. 17-36 804 DATE: April 23, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty in the United States Army from July 1967 to July 1970 including service in the Republic of Vietnam. This matter comes before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from a July 2015 rating decision by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) St. Petersburg, Florida Regional Office (RO), in which entitlement to a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Veteran testified in a Board videoconference hearing before the undersigned Veterans Law Judge on January 28, 2020. A transcript of the hearing has been associated with the electronic record. Entitlement to a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss The Veteran is currently in receipt of a noncompensable disability rating under Diagnostic Code 6100 for bilateral hearing loss from November 22, 2002. The evidence of record reflects a June 2015 VA disability hearing loss and tinnitus examination with average pure tone hearing thresholds of 54 in the right ear and 66 in the left ear with 94 percent and 86 percent word recognition scores in the right ear and left ear respectively. In August 2017 the Veteran underwent a comprehensive audiologic evaluation with a private provider. Testing demonstrated average thresholds of 63 in the right ear and 81 in the left ear. Word recognition scores were 80 in the right ear and 70 in the left ear. During his January 2020 testimony the Veteran and his wife testified regarding noticeable difficulty with understanding conversation which the Veteran testified he has been advised cannot be improved with hearing aids. He had a recent private or VA audiologic evaluation in June 2019 which is not a part of the electronic record. Accordingly, remand is warranted to obtain updated hearing treatment records and an updated hearing disability examination. The matters are REMANDED for the following action 1. Appropriate efforts should be made to obtain and associate with this case file any outstanding VA medical records. 2. Request that the Veteran identify all VA and non-VA health care providers that have treated or evaluated him for hearing loss or associated complaints. The Veteran should either provide the records to the VA or execute authorizations to enable VA to obtain any pertinent private medical records. The RO must attempt to procure copies of all records which have not previously been obtained from identified treatment sources. All attempts to secure this evidence must be documented in the claim file. 3. After completion of the above steps, schedule the Veteran for an updated comprehensive VA hearing evaluation of the Veteran’s current hearing loss disability. The VA examiner should identify functional deficits that the Veteran experiences due to hearing loss. 4. After completion of the above development, readjudicate the claim. If the decision remains unfavorable to the Veteran, provide him and his representative with a Supplemental Statement of the Case and return the claim to the Board. KRISTI L. GUNN Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney for the Board D. Adams Hill, 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.