Citation Nr: 0812506 Decision Date: 04/15/08 Archive Date: 05/01/08 DOCKET NO. 07-25 923 ) DATE ) ) On appeal from the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in Indianapolis, Indiana THE ISSUE Entitlement to service connection for gingivitis with residual dental disorders. REPRESENTATION Appellant represented by: The American Legion ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD Christine C. Kung, Associate Counsel INTRODUCTION The veteran served on active duty from April 1973 to September 1974. This matter comes on appeal before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) from a July 2006 rating decision of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office in Indianapolis, Indiana (RO) which denied service connection for gingivitis with dental problems. The appeal is REMANDED to the RO via the Appeals Management Center (AMC), in Washington, DC. VA will notify the appellant if further action is required. REMAND The appellant entered a substantive appeal, VA Form 9, dated and received in August 2007, indicating that she wanted to have a Board hearing to be held by a BVA member sitting at the Indianapolis VA Regional Office. A Board hearing has not yet been scheduled, nor is there any indication that the appellant has withdrawn her hearing request pursuant to 38 C.F.R. § 20.704(b) and (e) (2007). As such, the Board finds that the appellant must be scheduled for a Board hearing, and notified of the time and place of the scheduled hearing. Accordingly, the case is REMANDED for the following action: 1. The RO should schedule the appellant for a Travel Board hearing before a Veterans Law Judge of the Board as soon as it may be feasible. The RO should send notice of the scheduled hearing to the appellant, and her representative, a copy of which should be associated with the claims file. 2. Thereafter, the case should be returned to the Board for further appellate review, as appropriate. The appellant has the right to submit additional evidence and argument on the matter or matters the Board has remanded. Kutscherousky v. West, 12 Vet. App. 369 (1999). This claim must be afforded expeditious treatment. The law requires that all claims that are remanded by the Board of Veterans' Appeals or by the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims for additional development or other appropriate action must be handled in an expeditious manner. See 38 U.S.C.A. §§ 5109B, 7112 (West Supp. 2007). _________________________________________________ S. L. Kennedy Veterans Law Judge, Board of Veterans' Appeals Under 38 U.S.C.A. § 7252 (West 2002), only a decision of the Board of Veterans' Appeals is appealable to the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. 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) (2007).