BVA9500125 
DOCKET NO.  93-05 474     )       DATE
          )
          )

On appeal from the decision of the
Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in New Orleans,
Louisiana

THE ISSUES

1.  Entitlement to service connection for hearing loss.

2.  Entitlement to service connection for a disability manifested
by dizzy spells.

REPRESENTATION

Appellant represented by: Veterans of Foreign Wars of the
United States

REMAND

The VA has a duty to assist an appellant in developing facts
pertinent to a potentially well grounded claim.  38 U.S.C.A.
§ 5107(a) (West 1991); 38 C.F.R. §§ 3.103, 3.159 (1993).  That
duty includes obtaining medical records and medical examinations
where indicated by the facts and circumstances of an individual
case.  See Murphy v. Derwinski, 1 Vet.App. 78 (1990); Littke v.
Derwinski, 1 Vet.App. 90 (1990).

The veteran served from March 1961 to March 1964.  He has a
current hearing loss demonstrated on Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) examination in July 1992.  The examiner did not
express an opinion as to any relationship between that hearing
loss and the noise exposure alleged in service.  See Hensley v.
Brown, 5 Vet.App. 155, 159 (1993).  The veteran has also referred
to more recent treatment for dizzy spells, particularly in
December 1992, at a VA facility but those medical records have
not been obtained.  Therefore, it is the decision of the Board
that the case be REMANDED for the following development:

1.  The Regional Office (RO) should obtain
and make a part of the record copies of
treatment records pertaining to the
veteran from June 1992 to the present from
the VA Medical Center in Alexandria,
Louisiana.

2.  The RO should schedule the veteran for
audiological evaluation which must include
an opinion by the examiner as to whether
or not any current hearing loss is
attributable to service or injury therein,
including acoustic trauma.

When the aforementioned development has been accomplished the
case should be reviewed by the RO.  In the event the benefits
sought are not granted, the veteran and his representative should
be provided with a supplemental statement of the case and
afforded a reasonable opportunity to respond thereto.
Thereafter, the case should be returned to the Board for further
appellate consideration.  No action is required of the veteran
until he is notified.

          (CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE)

          HOLLY E. MOEHLMANN
          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).