Citation Nr: 18144065
Decision Date: 10/23/18	Archive Date: 10/23/18

DOCKET NO. 16-22 877
DATE:	October 23, 2018
REMANDED
Entitlement to a rating in excess of 30 percent for an acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is remanded.
REASONS FOR REMAND
The appellant is a Veteran who served on active duty from January 1968 to October 1970.  This case comes to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from a December 2015 rating decision of a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO).  The RO has since granted a temporary total rating under 38 C.F.R. § 4.29, for hospital treatment in excess of 21 days for treatment of PTSD, for the periods of November 21, 2016 through January 2017 and from July 24, 2018 through September 2018.  
Entitlement to a rating in excess of 30 percent for an acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as PTSD, is remanded.
The Veteran’s last VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected psychiatric disability was in November 2015.  On that examination, the examiner concluded that the Veteran did not have a mental disorder diagnosis and did not meet the DSM-5 criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD.  Since then, the Veteran has twice been admitted to a VA inpatient program for treatment of PTSD, from November 2016 to January 2017 and from July 2018 to September 2018.  Records of such treatment as well as ongoing outpatient treatment reports, some of which have not been considered by the RO in relation to the current appeal, appear to suggest that the disability has increased in severity.  Therefore, a contemporaneous examination to assess the disability is necessary.  38 C.F.R. § 3.327.  Updated (any outstanding) records of VA evaluations and treatment he has received for psychiatric disability are pertinent evidence that must be obtained.  
The matter is REMANDED for the following action:
1.  Secure for the record complete clinical records of all VA psychiatric evaluations and treatment the Veteran has received since his discharge from an inpatient program for treatment of PTSD on September 6, 2018.  
2.  Then arrange for a psychiatric examination of the Veteran to assess the current nature and severity of his acquired psychiatric disability, diagnosed as PTSD.  The Veteran’s entire record must be reviewed by the examiner in conjunction with the examination.  The examiner is asked to consider and apply the criteria of DSM-5 in identifying and describing the nature, frequency, and severity of all current symptoms of the psychiatric disability.  The examiner is also asked to describe the impact of the psychiatric symptoms on the Veteran’s daily activity and on his social and occupational functioning.  




All opinions must include rationale.  

 
GEORGE R. SENYK
Veterans Law Judge
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD	Debbie Breitbeil, Counsel