Citation Nr: 18149672
Decision Date: 11/13/18	Archive Date: 11/13/18

DOCKET NO. 16-46 268
DATE:	November 13, 2018
REMANDED
Entitlement to an increased initial rating in excess of 50 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with alcohol use disorder in remission is remanded.
REASONS FOR REMAND
The Veteran served on active duty for training from December 1969 to August 1973.
This matter comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from a June 2015 rating decision of the RO.
In Rice v. Shinseki, 22 Vet. App. 447 (2009), the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (Court) stated that a claim for a TDIU due to service-connected disability is part and parcel of an increased rating claim when such claim is raised by the record. However, in this case, the Veteran does not assert that he is unemployed as a result of his service-connected PTSD with alcohol use disorder in remission. Therefore, the issue of entitlement to a TDIU has not been raised and the issue is not currently before the Board on appeal. 


Entitlement to an increased initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD with alcohol use disorder in remission is remanded.
The Veteran was afforded a VA examination in March 2015. However, in a July 2015 correspondence the Veteran asserts that his symptomatology was not evaluated adequately or that his symptomatology was not exposed at the time. The Veteran provided examples of obsessional rituals daily, poor impulse control, depression, issues travelling, and difficulty maintaining and establishing relationships. While the March 2015 VA examination reports some of these symptoms, the Board considers the Veteran’s assertions and remands this matter for an additional VA examination to ensure an accurate depiction of the severity and symptomatology associated with the Veteran’s PTSD with alcohol use disorder in remission.
The matter is REMANDED for the following action:
1. Obtain any outstanding VA and/or private treatment records. Associate such records with the electronic claims file.
2. Thereafter, the RO should schedule an appropriate VA examination to determine the current severity of the Veteran’s PTSD with alcohol use disorder in remission. The claims folder and this remand must be made available to the examiner for review, and the examination report must reflect that such a review was undertaken. 
The examiner is directed to determine the current severity of the Veteran’s service-connected PTSD with alcohol use disorder in remission. Any indicated diagnostic tests and studies should be accomplished.
The examiner is to describe the Veteran’s symptoms, and note the impact, if any, of the Veteran’s disorder on his social and industrial functioning. The examiner is to provide information concerning the functional impairment that results from the service-connected disability which may affect the Veteran’s ability to function and perform tasks.
The VA examiner is directed to consider the Veteran’s asserted symptomatology of obsessional rituals daily, poor impulse control, depression, issues travelling, and difficulty maintaining and establishing relationships, as explained in the July 2015 correspondence.
3. After completing any further development deemed necessary, readjudicate the claims. If any benefit on appeal remains denied, issue a supplemental statement of the case (SSOC) to the Veteran and his representative, and allow an appropriate time for response. Thereafter, the case should be returned to the Board, if otherwise in order.
 
Michael Pappas
Veterans Law Judge
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD	J. Tunis, Associate Counsel