Citation Nr: 18145892
Decision Date: 10/30/18	Archive Date: 10/30/18

DOCKET NO. 16-27 081
DATE:	October 30, 2018
REMANDED
Entitlement to an initial increased rating for service-connected hypertension is remanded.
REASONS FOR REMAND
The Veteran served on active duty from December 1980 to June 1990. This matter comes before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from a November 2012 rating decision which granted service-connected hypertension.
1. Entitlement to an Increased Rating for Service-Connected Hypertension is Remanded.
The Veteran contends that his service-connected hypertension is more severe than the currently assigned noncompensable rating. After review of the record, the Board has determined that additional development is necessary to make a fully-informed decision.
The Veteran last attended a VA examination in October 2015. On examination, his blood pressure readings were 134/94, 136/100, and 120/84.
In a December 2015 VA treatment note, the Veteran stated that his blood pressure had been higher in the past few months and estimated it had been in the 130’s to 150’s. The most recent VA treatment records in the electronic claims file are from July 2016.
Because there is an indication that the disability on appeal may have increased in severity, the Board finds it necessary to remand the claim for a contemporaneous examination to ensure that VA meets its duty to assist. 38 C.F.R. § 3.159(c)(4)(i) (2017); see Snuffer v. Gober, 10 Vet. App. 400, 403 (1997).
The matter is REMANDED for the following action:
1.  Associate any outstanding VA treatment records after July 2016 with the electronic claims file.
2.  After the above development is completed, schedule the Veteran for an examination by an appropriate clinician to determine the current severity of his service-connected hypertension disability. The examiner should provide a full description of the disability and report all signs and symptoms necessary for evaluating the Veteran's disability under the rating criteria. 
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To the extent possible, the examiner should identify any symptoms and functional impairments due to the Veteran's hypertension disability alone and discuss the effect of the Veteran's hypertension disability on any occupational functioning and activities of daily living.
 
H. SEESEL
Veterans Law Judge
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD	C. Teague, Associate Counsel