Citation Nr: 18143646
Decision Date: 10/19/18	Archive Date: 10/19/18

DOCKET NO. 15-37 216
DATE:	October 19, 2018
REMANDED
Service connection for a psychotic disorder to include depression associated with service-connected traumatic brain injury (TBI) and migraines is remanded.
REASONS FOR REMAND
The Veteran served on active duty from June 1982 to June 1986 with subsequent duty in the Air Force Reserves until May 2001, with a period of inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA) in December 2009. 
This matter comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) from an October 2013 rating decision of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO).
The Veteran requested a video conference hearing before the Board.  The hearing was scheduled for September 26, 2018; however, the Veteran failed to report and did not request that the hearing be rescheduled.
Psychotic and Depressive Disorders 
The Veteran seeks service connection for psychiatric disorders, to include psychotic disorder and depressive disorder, to include as secondary to his service-connected TBI and migraines.  However, a remand is necessary before the Board can adjudicate this matter.  Specifically, the Veteran had a Compensation and Pension examination in October 2016.  In the examination report, the examiner stated that a particular type of migraine headaches is a possible triggering factor for brief psychosis; however, it was beyond the capacity of the examination for the examiner to determine the nature of the Veteran’s headaches.  Despite the examiner’s finding, an examination has not been scheduled to determine whether the Veteran’s migraines are the type referred to in the October 2016 examination report.  Accordingly, a remand is required to schedule an examination to determine whether the Veteran’s service-connected migraine headaches have caused or aggravated his psychotic disorder and/or depressive disorder.
The matter is REMANDED for the following action:
1. Obtain the Veteran’s VA treatment records for the period from May 2017 to the Present.
2. Schedule the Veteran for a VA examination to determine the relationship, if any, between psychotic disorder and/or depressive disorder and his service-connected migraines.  The examiner must be provided access to the electronic claims file and he or she must indicate review of the claims file in the examination report.  All necessary testing must be completed.
The examiner must provide an opinion indicating whether it is at least as likely as not (50 percent or greater probability) that the Veteran’s service-connected migraines have caused or aggravated (permanently worsened) his psychotic disorder or depressive disorder.
The examiner must provide a rationale in support of each opinion.  The examiner should address the finding in the October 2016 examination report, which indicates a possible relationship between psychotic disorder and certain types of migraine headaches.  
If the examiner cannot provide the requested opinions without resorting to speculation, the examiner must explain why this is so.
 

 
KELLI A. KORDICH
Veterans Law Judge
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD	Alderman, Amanda G.