Citation Nr: 18152736
Decision Date: 11/26/18	Archive Date: 11/26/18

DOCKET NO. 16-47 446
DATE:	November 26, 2018
REMANDED
Entitlement to an initial disability rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)/unspecified trauma related disorder in excess of 30 percent is remanded.
Entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities is remanded.
REASONS FOR REMAND
The Veteran served on active duty from February 1966 to February 1968.
This matter comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from December 2014 and April 2015 rating decisions by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The Board acknowledges that the Veteran submitted a Rapid Appeals Modernization Program (RAMP) opt-in election form that was received by VA on May 24, 2018. However, the appeal for the Veteran’s claim has already been activated at the Board and is therefore no longer eligible for the RAMP program at this time. Accordingly, the Board will undertake appellate review of the case.


Entitlement to an initial disability rating for subthreshold PTSD in excess of 30 percent is remanded.
The Veteran’s most recent VA examination for his subthreshold PTSD occurred in March 2015. Since that time, a May 2018 statement from the Veteran’s sister reflects that his disability may have worsened. Specifically, she states that she has observed that the Veteran “has no objective to thought process and has abnormal perception.” See May 2018 Lay Statement. Because it has been almost four years since the last VA examination, a contemporaneous examination is required to assess the current severity of his service-connected disability. See Green v. Derwinski, 1 Vet. App. 121 (1991); see also Snuffer v. Gober, 10 Vet. App. 400, 403 (1997).
Entitlement to TDIU is remanded.
The Board notes that the claim for TDIU is inextricably intertwined with the issue of an increased rating for subthreshold PTSD. As such, the claim for TDIU is remanded pending the adjudication of the Veteran’s subthreshold PTSD issue. Harris v. Derwinski, 1 Vet. App. 180, 183 (1991).
The matters are REMANDED for the following action:
1. The AOJ should obtain copies of VA treatment records for the Veteran’s disabilities from March 2015 to the present.
2. After the development in (1) is completed, the AOJ should arrange for an examination of the Veteran to assess the current severity of his service-connected subthreshold PTSD. The examiner must review the entire record (including this remand) in conjunction with the examination and note such review was conducted. The examiner should provide a full description of the disability and report all signs and symptoms associated with the Veteran’s disability.
3. If upon completion of the above action the issues remain denied, the case should be returned to the Board after compliance with appellate procedures.
 
E. I. VELEZ
Veterans Law Judge
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD	A. Roe, Associate Counsel