Citation Nr: 18153893
Decision Date: 11/28/18	Archive Date: 11/28/18

DOCKET NO. 13-27 732
DATE:	November 28, 2018
REMANDED
Entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is remanded.

REASONS FOR REMAND
The Veteran served on active duty in the United States Army from September 1967 to September 1969, which included service in Vietnam. He also served on active duty in the United States Air Force from June 1971 to June 1972. He died in April 2011, and the appellant is the Veteran’s surviving spouse. 
In January 2017, the Veteran was afforded a Board hearing at the regional office (RO). A transcript of the hearing is of record.
This matter was previously before the Board in September 2017 at which time it was remanded for additional development. It is now returned to the Board.


1. Entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is remanded.
In the September 2017 remand, the Board instructed the RO to arrange for the Veteran’s records to be reviewed by a medical doctor and instructed the reviewer to provide an opinion as to whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran’s coronary artery disease and/or service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was the principal cause or a contributory cause of the Veteran’s death. In an April 2018 VA medical opinion, the physician provided a negative opinion of whether it was at least as likely as not that the Veteran’s coronary artery disease was the principle cause or a contributory cause of the Veteran’s death; however, in regard to whether the service-connected PTSD was the principal cause or contributory cause of the Veteran’s death, the April 2018 physician noted that an opinion could not be provided and reasoned that commentaries about PTSD and mental health are out of his area of expertise. As such, the Board finds that its September 2017 remand directives were not substantially complied with and that a remand is necessary to obtain an opinion concerning whether the service-connected PTSD was the principal cause or contributory cause of the Veteran’s death. See Stegall, 11 Vet. App. at 271; Barr v. Nicholson, 21 Vet. App. 303, 307 (2007).
The matter is REMANDED for the following action:
The AOJ should arrange for the Veteran’s records to be reviewed by a medical doctor (preferably a psychiatrist). The claims folder is to be made available to the reviewer.
The reviewer is asked to provide an opinion as to whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran’s service-connected PTSD was the principal cause or a contributory cause of his death. The examiner must provide a medical rationale for all opinions and conclusions.
 
JAMES L. MARCH
Veterans Law Judge
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD	Hammad Rasul, Associate Counsel