BVA9501907 DOCKET NO. 93-10 632 ) DATE ) ) On appeal from the decision of the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in Columbia, South Carolina THE ISSUE Entitlement to service connection for a hearing loss. REPRESENTATION Appellant represented by: Disabled American Veterans ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD Tresa Schlecht, Associate Counsel INTRODUCTION The appellant had active duty for training from February 1972 to August 1972 and had active service from February 1973 to February 1975 and from December 1990 to September 1991. The appellant had unverified periods of duty for training from 1975 through 1990. This matter comes before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from an August 1992 rating decision of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO) in Columbia, South Carolina, which denied entitlement to service connection for a hearing loss. REMAND The appellant contends that his hearing loss was diagnosed after his September 1991 separation from service. He contends that his hearing loss is due to exposure to noise from generators and airplanes. The service medical records, including records related to appellant's duty for training, include ten audiology examinations, beginning with a January 1972 audiology examination prior to the appellant's first induction into service. That examination disclosed a hearing loss in the right ear that pre- existed service. However, audiology testing conducted in 1973 and 1975 in relation to the appellant's second period of service reflected hearing within the definition of normal in both ears. The first evidence in the record of a hearing disability is an examination which appears to have been conducted in May 1984. It is not clear from the record whether this examination was conducted prior to, during, or following a period of active duty for training. There are no records in the file reflecting pre-induction or separation audiology examinations for the appellant's December 1990 to September 1991 service. He states in his notice of disagreement that he was examined at a hospital when he returned to the United States at the end of this period of service. It is not clear whether the appellant is indicating that additional records of audiologic testing are available or whether the appellant is referring to examinations of record relating to the appellant's service-connected diabetes. Although the record includes a January 1992 audiology examination apparently conducted for the South Carolina Air National Guard, there has been no post-service VA examination of the appellant's hearing. See Ledford v. Derwinski, 3 Vet.App. 87 (1992). In order to ascertain whether the appellant has a hearing disability in either ear or bilaterally and to determine whether this disability was first noted during a period of active service or as a result of service, or, if a hearing loss pre-existed service, to determine whether such hearing loss was aggravated in service, the Board is of the opinion that further evidentiary development is required. See Hensley v. Brown, 5 Vet.App. 155 (1993). Accordingly, the case is REMANDED to the RO for the following development: 1. The RO should determine whether service medical records regarding the appellant's period of service from December 1990 to September 1991 are available, and, if so, obtain and associate any records with the claims folder. The RO should contact the appellant to determine whether the records referenced in the appellant's January 1992 notice of disagreement are present in the record. If additional medical records are available, the RO should obtain any necessary releases and associate such records with the claims folder. 2. The RO should determine the dates of appellant's active duty for training and inactive duty for training for each year that the appellant served in a military reserve unit. The RO should attempt to obtain any additional medical records available from the appellant's duty for training, including but not limited to records during training with the South Carolina Air National Guard. The RO should determine how frequently the appellant was required to be examined for duty for training and determine whether all available audiology examinations are of record. We note that the record references annual examinations for duty for training, but does not indicate whether each annual examination included audiology examination. 3. The veteran should be afforded a VA audiology examination and an otology examination to determine whether a hearing disability is present in either ear or bilaterally. If a hearing disability is found in either ear or bilaterally, the examiner should provide a medical opinion as to when that hearing disability first manifested. If the examiner determines that the veteran has a current hearing disability in either ear or bilaterally which pre-existed service rather than began during service, the examiner should determine whether such pre-existing hearing disability increased in severity during any period of active service or during any period of duty for training. The claims folder should be made available to the examiner for review before the examination. When the development described above has been accomplished, the case should be reviewed by the RO. If the benefit sought is 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, if in order. The Board intimates no opinion as to the ultimate outcome of this case. The appellant need take no action unless otherwise notified. 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).