BVA9500572 
DOCKET NO.  93-06 036     )       DATE
          )
          )

On appeal from the decision of the
Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in Montgomery,
Alabama

THE ISSUE

Entitlement to service connection for hearing loss.

ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD

J. Johnston, Associate Counsel

INTRODUCTION

The veteran had active service from March 1969 to February 1975.

This matter comes before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board)
on appeal from an August 1992 rating decision of the Montgomery,
Alabama, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO)
which denied service connection for hearing loss.

REMAND

By a May 1992 letter to the Board, a Member of Congress forwarded
a copy of a December 1992 letter from C. M. Warren, Jr., M.D.
This letter stated that the veteran's hearing loss "could
certainly be caused by the type of work [he performed] in the
Navy."  The veteran also has requested a VA examination.  Based
upon Dr. Warren's opinion, a VA audiometric examination should be
performed to determine the nature of the veteran's hearing loss
and to request the examiner for an opinion regarding the most
probable etiology of that hearing loss.

The veteran has claimed that he sought treatment for hearing loss
during service and that he spoke with military doctors about his
hearing loss but the service medical records on file do not
document this.  An additional search for service medical records
should be conducted.

The VA has a duty to assist the veteran in developing all facts
pertinent to his claim.  Therefore, the case is REMANDED to the
RO for the following actions:

1.  The veteran should be requested to
provide the approximate dates of any
audiological or ear examinations which he
may have undergone from the time of his
separation from service in February 1975
until present and the names and addresses
of the treating or evaluating clinicians.
With the veteran's assistance and consent,
the RO should directly contact any
audiologist or physician identified and
request copies of the veteran's medical
records which should be collected and added
to the claims folder.

2.  The RO should conduct another search to
determine whether there are any additional
service medical records that have not
already been associated with the claims
folder.  In this regard, and with the
veteran's assistance and consent if
necessary, any additional audiological
evaluations which the veteran may have
undergone after service, while employed as
a Civil Service firefighter for an air
operations or any other military unit,
should be collected and added to the claims
folder.

3.  The veteran should be requested to
provide a detailed list of all of his post-
service employment since he was separated
from service in February 1975, including
the name and address of each employer, the
dates of employment, and a brief
description of the type of duties he
performed.  With the veteran's consent, the
RO should directly contact each source
identified and request each employer to
explain the veteran's duties and whether
the veteran was exposed to a loud noise or
acoustic trauma as a part of those duties.
Additionally, the RO should attempt to
secure copies of any audiometric
examinations which may have been taken
in conjunction with the veteran's
employment.

4.  After completion of the above
development, the veteran should be referred
for a VA audiometric examination.  The
examiner should fully describe the nature
and level of any hearing loss found.  The
claims folder, including all evidence
obtained during this remand and this remand
decision, should be made available to the
examiner prior to the examination for use
in evaluating the veteran's case.
Additionally, after conducting the
examination and after reviewing the claims
folder (including all audiometric
examinations of record), the examiner
should express an expert opinion of whether
it is more, less, or equally probable that
the veteran's present hearing loss is
causally related to his exposure to loud
aircraft noise during service.
The veteran's case should be referred to an
otolaryngologist if the audiologist is
unable to provide the required opinion.

5.  Following completion of the above
development, the RO should review all of
the evidence, including Dr. Warren's
statement and that obtained during the
remand, and determine whether the veteran's
claim of entitlement to service connection
for hearing loss may be allowed.  If the
benefit sought on appeal is not granted to
the veteran's satisfaction, he and his
representative should be provided an
appropriate supplemental statement of the
case and a reasonable opportunity to
respond.  The case should then be returned
to the Board for further appellate review.

The veteran need do nothing until further notified.

          JANE E. SHARP
          Member, Board of Veterans' Appeals

The Board of Veterans' Appeals Administrative Procedures
Improvement Act, Pub. L. No. 103-271, § 6, 108 Stat. 740, ___
(1994), permits a proceeding instituted before the Board to be
assigned to an individual member of the Board for a
determination.  This proceeding has been assigned to an
individual member of the Board.

Under 38 U.S.C.A. § 7252 (West 1991), only a decision of the
Board of Veterans' Appeals is appealable to the United States
Court of Veterans Appeals.  This remand is in the nature of a
preliminary order and does not constitute a decision of the Board
on the merits of your appeal.  38 C.F.R. § 20.1100(b) (1993).