Citation Nr: 18149742
Decision Date: 11/13/18	Archive Date: 11/13/18

DOCKET NO. 16-48 568
DATE:	November 13, 2018
REMANDED
Entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, and adjustment disorder, is remanded.
REASONS FOR REMAND
The Veteran served on active duty from July 1980 to August 1992 and from February 2003 to May 2004.
The Veteran reported that his duties included traveling to locations in Kuwait and Iraq.  He reported that he was always in fear of being shot at or hitting a roadside bomb.  He reported that he witnessed the death of a fellow soldier by heart attack.  He reported that there were two suicides in his unit.  He reported that he is frightened by any loud noise and he avoids crowds.
The Veteran’s STRs show that he was diagnosed with adjustment disorder during his active service in January 2004.
The Veteran has been afforded VA examinations.  However, the VA examiners diagnosed the Veteran with only depressive disorder.  Neither examiner addressed the Veteran’s diagnosed adjustment disorder during his active service, and its relevance, if any, to the Veteran’s currently diagnosed acquired psychiatric disability.  In addition, additional medical records were submitted after the last VA examination showing that he has been diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorder, and depressive disorder.  Furthermore, his medical records specifically report that these diagnoses were based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM–5).
As such, a medical opinion is necessary to adjudicate the service connection claim.
The matters are REMANDED for the following action:
Schedule the Veteran for a VA psychiatric examination, with a psychiatrist or psychologist.  The examiner should diagnose any current Axis-I psychiatric disability.   
The examiner should provide an opinion as to whether is it at least as likely as not (50 percent or greater) that any current acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, and/or adjustment disorder, either began during or was otherwise caused by the Veteran’s active service.  Why or why not?  The examiner should discuss the significance of the Veteran’s diagnosis of adjustment disorder during his active service and his diagnoses of PTSD, anxiety disorder, and depressive disorder after his separation from active service.
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If PTSD is diagnosed, the examiner should identify the stressor event or events supporting the diagnosis, or should explain why the diagnosis is the result of fear of hostile military or terrorist activity.
 
MATTHEW W. BLACKWELDER
Veterans Law Judge
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD	T. Berryman, Counsel