Citation Nr: 18142784
Decision Date: 10/16/18	Archive Date: 10/16/18

DOCKET NO. 15-44 416
DATE:	October 16, 2018
REMANDED
The issue of service connection for a recurrent left knee disorder to include injury residuals and osteoarthritis is remanded.  
REASONS FOR REMAND
The Veteran had active service from June 1978 to September 1978.  He had additional duty with the Marine Corps Reserve.  
The issue of service connection for a recurrent left knee disorder to include injury residuals and osteoarthritis is remanded.  
The Veteran contends that service connection for a recurrent left knee disorder is warranted as he sustained the claimed disability when he injured his left knee while drilling with his Marine Corps Reserve unit at Charleston Landing.  
The report of an August 1979 Marine Corps Reserve fitness for duty examination notes that the Veteran reported having undergone recent left knee surgery at Roper Hospital.  On contemporaneous physical evaluation, the Veteran was found to be not physically qualified for retention in the Marine Corps Reserve.  
The Veteran’s complete periods of active duty, active duty for training, and inactive duty for training with the Marine Corps Reserve have not been verified and the service treatment records associated with that duty have not been requested for incorporation into the record.  Clinical documentation of the cited private 1979 left knee surgical procedure is not of record.  
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) should obtain all relevant military, VA, and private treatment records which could potentially be helpful in resolving the Veteran’s claims.  Murphy v. Derwinski, 1 Vet. App. 78 (1990); Bell v. Derwinski, 2 Vet. App. 611 (1992).  
The matter is REMANDED for the following action:
1. Ask the Veteran to complete a VA Form 21-4142 for each private healthcare provider, including Roper Hospital, who has treated any recurrent left knee disorder.  Make two requests for any authorized records from all identified healthcare providers unless it is clear after the first request that a second request would be futile.
2. Contact the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) or the appropriate service entity and request verification of the Veteran’s complete periods of active duty, active duty for training, and inactive duty for training with the Marine Corps Reserve and forward all available service medical and personnel records associated with the Veteran’s service for incorporation into the record.  
(Continued on the next page)
 
3. Obtain the Veteran’s VA treatment records.
 
J. T. HUTCHESON
Acting Veterans Law Judge
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD	Denton, Buck