Citation Nr: 0813886 Decision Date: 04/25/08 Archive Date: 05/01/08 DOCKET NO. 05-09 181 ) DATE ) ) On appeal from the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in St. Louis, Missouri THE ISSUES 1. Entitlement to service connection for a psychiatric disability, other than post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 2. Entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU). REPRESENTATION Appellant represented by: Disabled American Veterans ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD David S. Nelson, Counsel INTRODUCTION The veteran had active service from August 1979 to September 1981. This matter comes to the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from a January 2004 rating decision of the St. Louis, Missouri Regional Office (RO) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This case has been advanced on the docket. This case was previously before the Board in December 2006. At that time, the Board denied entitlement to service connection for PTSD, and reopened the claim of entitlement to service connection for a psychiatric disability, other than PTSD, and remanded that issue and entitlement to TDIU for further development. The appeal is REMANDED to the RO via the Appeals Management Center (AMC), in Washington, DC. VA will notify you if further action is required on your part. REMAND The Board notes that correspondence from the Social Security Administration (SSA) reveals that the veteran has been entitled to monthly disability benefits from October 2000. The veteran, and her mother, have also indicated as much. VA has a duty to obtain Social Security Administration (SSA) records when they may be relevant. Murincsak v. Derwinski, 2 Vet. App. 363, 370-72 (1992). An attempt should be made to obtain these records. The Board also notes that the veteran's vocational rehabilitation file should be associated with the claims file. Accordingly, the case is REMANDED for the following actions: 1. The AOJ should contact the Social Security Administration (SSA) and request copies of the veteran's records regarding SSA disability benefits, including any SSA administrative decision(s) (favorable or unfavorable), and the medical records upon which the decision(s) were based. 2. The AOJ should associate the veteran's vocational rehabilitation file, if any, with the claims file. If no such file is available, such should be documented in the claims folder. 3. The AOJ should then readjudicate the issues on appeal. If any of the benefits sought are not granted to the veteran's satisfaction, a supplemental statement of the case should be issued, and the veteran and her representative should be afforded the appropriate period to respond. Thereafter, the case should be returned to the Board, as appropriate. The appellant has the right to submit additional evidence and argument on the 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. 2005). _________________________________________________ U. R. POWELL 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).