Citation Nr: 1123469	
Decision Date: 06/21/11    Archive Date: 06/28/11

DOCKET NO.  10-04 017	)	DATE
	)
	)

On appeal from the
Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in Waco, Texas


THE ISSUE

Whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and, if so, whether service connection is warranted.  


REPRESENTATION

Appellant represented by:	Disabled American Veterans


ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD

James G. Reinhart, Counsel


INTRODUCTION

The Veteran served on active duty from October 1966 to September 1969.  

This matter comes to the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from a June 2009 rating decision of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO) in Waco, Texas.  

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

In August 2010 the RO received a statement from the Veteran's representative informing VA that the Veteran wanted a hearing before a member of the Board at the local VA office (a Travel Board hearing).  

As a result, this matter must be remanded so that the Veteran can be afforded an opportunity for a hearing.  

Accordingly, the case is REMANDED for the following action:

Schedule the Veteran for a Travel Board hearing in the order that the request was received.  After a hearing is conducted, or if the Veteran withdraws his hearing request or fails to report for the scheduled hearing, the claims file should be returned to the Board for appellate review.

The Veteran 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. 2010).


_________________________________________________
JOHN J. CROWLEY
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) (2010).