Citation Nr: 18141566
Decision Date: 10/11/18	Archive Date: 10/10/18

DOCKET NO. 15-39 690
DATE:	October 11, 2018
REMANDED
Whether new and material evidence has been presented to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depressive disorder, and anxiety disorder, to include as secondary to a service-connected traumatic brain injury, is remanded.
REASONS FOR REMAND
The Veteran served on active duty from June 1984 to April 1987 with additional periods of service in the Army National Guard.
This matter comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from a February 2014 rating decision of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO) in Portland, Oregon.
In his October 2015 substantive appeal, the Veteran requested a hearing before the Board by videoconference.  See October 2015 Form 9.  A hearing was subsequently scheduled for September 11, 2018.  The Veteran failed to appear at the September 2018 hearing.  Neither the Veteran nor his representative have submitted a postponement request or good cause for his failure to appear.  Accordingly, the Veteran’s hearing request is deemed withdrawn.  38 C.F.R. § 20.704(d).
A January 2015 letter reveals that the Veteran applied for disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA).  However, SSA records have not been associated with the claims file.  As these SSA records may provide an evaluation of the Veteran’s claimed psychiatric disorder(s) that would be considered new and material evidence, a remand is required to obtain them.  Tetro v. Gober, 14 Vet. App. 100, 108-09 (2000); Murincsak v. Derwinski, 2 Vet. App. 363, 372 (1992).
Additionally, as this matter is being remanded, the Veteran’s updated VA treatment records should be obtained and the Veteran should be scheduled for a VA examination, as described below.
The matter is REMANDED for the following action:
1. Make arrangements to obtain the Veteran’s VA treatment records, dated from May 2017, forward. 
2. Request from the SSA complete copies of any disability determination it has made concerning the Veteran and copies of the medical records that served as the basis for any such decision. If these records are not available, a negative reply is required.
3. Thereafter, schedule the Veteran for a VA psychiatric examination.  The entire claims file, to include a copy of this REMAND, must be reviewed by the examiner in conjunction with the examination.  The examiner should confirm in the examination report that he or she has reviewed the folder in conjunction with the examination. 
The examiner should identify all current psychiatric disorders found to be present.  For each psychiatric disorder found, the examiner should provide an opinion as to:
(a) Whether it is at least as likely as not (50 percent probability or greater) that it had its clinical onset during active service or is related to any incident of service?
(b) Whether it is at least as likely as not (50 percent probability or greater) that it was either (i) caused by, or (ii) aggravated (i.e., worsened) by the Veteran’s service-connected traumatic brain injury?
The examiner is asked to provide a rationale for the opinions rendered. 
 
P.M. DILORENZO
Veterans Law Judge
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD	S. M. Stedman, Associate Counsel