Citation Nr: 0813810 Decision Date: 04/25/08 Archive Date: 05/01/08 DOCKET NO. 03-34 249 ) DATE ) ) On appeal from the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in New Orleans, Louisiana THE ISSUES 1. Entitlement to service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 2. Entitlement to service connection for urethritis due to gonococcus, claimed as a sexually transmitted disease. 3. Entitlement to service connection for a kidney disorder. 4. Entitlement to service connection for a lung disorder. REPRESENTATION Appellant represented by: Disabled American Veterans WITNESSES AT HEARING ON APPEAL Appellant, his spouse, and his brother ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD Michael J. Skaltsounis, Counsel INTRODUCTION The veteran had active service from April 1970 to April 1972. This matter comes before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from a February 2003 rating decision of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO) in New Orleans, Louisiana, which denied the above claims. REMAND In July 2005, the veteran was afforded a video-conference hearing in this matter before the Board at his local RO. However, since the Veterans Law Judge who conducted the July 2005 hearing is no longer employed by the Board, and the law requires that the Veterans Law Judge who conducts a hearing on appeal must participate in any decision made on that appeal (38 C.F.R. § 20.707 (2007)), the veteran was advised in a March 2008 letter of his right to another Board hearing. Thereafter, in a written statement signed by the veteran and received by the Board in March 2008, he communicated his desire to attend another video-conference hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at his local RO. Consequently, the Board finds that it has no alternative but to remand this case so that the veteran can be afforded his requested hearing. Accordingly, the case is REMANDED for the following action: Arrangements should be made in order to provide the veteran with a video- conference hearing before a member of the Board at the RO. 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). _________________________________________________ P.M. DILORENZO 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).