Citation Nr: 18147234
Decision Date: 11/02/18	Archive Date: 11/02/18

DOCKET NO. 16-15 579A
DATE:	November 2, 2018
REMANDED
Entitlement to service connection for depression is remanded.
REASONS FOR REMAND
The Veteran served on active duty from January 1969 to January 1971, to include service in the Republic of Vietnam. 
This matter comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) from a June 2014 rating decision of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO).
The issue of entitlement to an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was raised in a January 2017 letter from the Veteran’s representative and is referred to the Agency of Original Jurisdiction (AOJ) for adjudication.
Entitlement to service connection for depression
A VA opinion is needed before the Board can decide the claim because it is unclear from the current record whether the claimed depression is a symptom of the already service-connected PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder or a separately diagnosed condition for which service connection could be assigned. In a June 2014 PTSD examination, the VA examiner concluded the Veteran’s diagnosed depressive disorder was secondary to PTSD but also related to current psychosocial stressors, with overlapping, as well as distinct, symptoms. An opinion addressing whether the Veteran’s depression is related to his military service, or solely a symptom of his service-connected PTSD, has not been obtained. 
Relevant ongoing medical records should also be requested on remand.
The matter is REMANDED for the following actions:
1. Ask the Veteran to provide the names and addresses of all medical care providers who have recently treated him for his claimed depression since April 2016. Thereafter, take all appropriate action to obtain any related records.
2. After records development is completed, schedule the Veteran for a VA psychiatric examination to obtain an opinion as to whether the Veteran’s depression is related to service. The claims file must be reviewed by the examiner in conjunction with the examination. All necessary tests should be conducted and the results reported.
Following review of the claims file and examination of the Veteran, the examiner should answer the following:  
(a) Does the Veteran have a separately diagnosed depressive disorder or are the depression symptoms part of the already service-connected PTSD?  If the depressive symptoms cannot be distinguished from the PTSD symptoms, indicate why that is.
(b) If the Veteran does have a separately diagnosed depressive disorder, is it is at least as likely as not (50 percent probability or greater) related to his service?   service or is otherwise related to service?
A complete rationale must be provided for all opinions offered.  
 
M. E. LARKIN
Veterans Law Judge
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD	M. C. Birder, Associate Counsel