Citation Nr: 18140126 Decision Date: 10/02/18 Archive Date: 10/02/18 DOCKET NO. 16-10 245 DATE: October 2, 2018 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for a psychiatric disorder, to include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty from October 1977 to October 1980 in the United States Army. This case comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from a March 2014 rating decision issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO) in San Diego, California. The Veteran also filed a notice of disagreement (NOD) with the issues of entitlement to service connection for a left hand and left knee disabilities. In a February 2016 rating decision, the RO granted service connection for those disabilities, which constitutes a full award of the benefits sought on appeal. See Grantham v. Brown, 114 F. 3d 1156, 1158 (Fed. Cir. 1997). Thus, those matters are no longer in appellate status. The Board notes that in March 2016, the Veteran indicated that he disagreed with the disability ratings assigned for those disabilities and that the RO notified him that if he wanted to file a NOD with respect to those issues, he need to complete and submit VA Form 21-0958 within one year of the date of the decision. A VA Form 21-0958 was not received within the one-year time period. In this case, the Veteran maintains that he has PTSD related to the following in-service stressors: 1) an incident that he witnessed involving an A-10 aircraft at Fort Hunter Liggett, CA, in which the pilot was killed; and 2) an incident involving a tanker in which four individuals were killed and where he was tasked with cleaning up body parts and tissue from the undercarriage of the tanker. The Joint Services Records Research Center (JSRRC) was able to corroborate that an A-10 aircraft crashed and that the pilot was fatally injured on September 17, 1979. In a February 2016 Memorandum, the RO determined that because the evidence did not indicate whether the Veteran was at the location of the aircraft accident, there was insufficient information to corroborate the stressor. Review of the Veteran’s military personnel records indicates that he was a motor transport operator who drove many missions, including to Yakima, WA, and Fort Irwin, CA. In addition, his file contains the report of an accident that occurred at Fort Hunter Liggett, CA, in 1980. Therefore, the Board finds that travel to Fort Hunter Liggett, CA, is consistent with the circumstances of the Veteran’s service and that the claimed aircraft accident stressor has been sufficiently corroborated. An April 2013 VA treatment record noted that the Veteran had possible PTSD and referred him for treatment. In September 2013, the assessment was depressive/anxiety disorder. Later records show a diagnosis of depressive disorder on his problem list and that he was taking venlafaxine for depression and anxiety. Based on the foregoing, the Board finds that a remand is necessary for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran’s psychiatric disorder. The matter is REMANDED for the following action: 1. Identify and obtain any pertinent, outstanding VA and private treatment records and associate them with the claims file. 2. Then, schedule the Veteran for a VA examination by an examiner with appropriate expertise to determine the nature and etiology of any psychiatric disorder that may be present. Any indicated studies should be performed. After examining the Veteran, and considering his pertinent medical history and lay statements regarding reported symptoms, the examiner should identify all psychiatric disorders that are present. For each diagnosis identified other than PTSD, the examiner should provide an opinion as to whether it is at least as likely as not (50 percent probability or better) that the disorder manifested during active service or is otherwise causally or etiologically related to his active service. With respect to PTSD, the examiner should determine whether the diagnostic criteria to support a diagnosis of PTSD have been satisfied. If the PTSD diagnosis is deemed appropriate, the examiner should then provide an opinion as to whether it is at least as likely as not (50 percent probability or better) that the current symptomatology is causally or etiologically related to any verified in-service stressor. The Board notes that the Veteran’s claimed in-service stressor involving an aircraft crash and death of the pilot at Fort Hudson Liggett in September 1979 has been verified. A rationale for all opinions expressed must be provided. 3. Confirm that the VA examination report and all opinions provided comport with this remand and undertake any other development found to be warranted. 4. Then, readjudicate the issue on appeal and allow appropriate time for response. Then, if warranted, return the case to the Board Kristin Haddock Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD S. Mishalanie, Counsel