Citation Nr: 18154449
Decision Date: 11/29/18	Archive Date: 11/29/18

DOCKET NO. 16-63 377
DATE:	November 29, 2018
REMANDED
Entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include generalized anxiety disorder and depression, is remanded.
REASONS FOR REMAND
The Veteran served on active duty in the United States Navy from November 1987 to November 1991.
This matter comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) from a May 2016 rating decision of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO).
The Board has recharacterized the Veteran’s claim as reflected on the title page, to ensure consideration of all diagnoses of record. See Clemons v. Shinseki, 23 Vet. App. 1, 5 (2009).
Entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include generalized anxiety disorder and depression, is remanded.
The Veteran asserts his acquired psychiatric disorder had its onset in service.  Specifically, he reports an incident in which his shipmate died in Dubai, UAE while assigned to USS JUNEAU (LPD-10) and he became anxious after hearing of the death.  See April 2016 VA Form 21-0781, Statement in Support of Claim for Service Connection for PTSD.  He has provided sufficient detail to attempt to verify this stressor, and such efforts should be undertaken on remand.  Additionally, the Veteran has been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and treated for depression.  See July 2014 VA Social Work Triage Assessment; July 2014 VA Mental Health Initial Assessment; August 2014 and May 2016 VA Psychiatry Attending Note.  The Veteran has not yet been afforded a VA examination, and the duty to obtain an examination is triggered.  See McLendon v. Nicholson, 20 Vet. App. 79 (2006).  Any outstanding VA and private treatment records should also be secured on remand.
The matter is REMANDED for the following action:
1. Obtain any outstanding VA treatment records.
2. With any necessary assistance from the Veteran, obtain any outstanding relevant private treatment records. 
3. Using information from the Veteran’s April 2016 VA Form 21-0781, attempt to verify the Veteran’s reported in-service stressor of A.B.’s death aboard USS JUNEAU (LPD 10) in March 1991.  
4. Then schedule the Veteran for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his psychiatric disorder.  All indicated tests and studies should be performed and all findings reported in detail.  Following a review of the claims file, the examiner is asked to address the following:
(a)	Identify all psychiatric disorders present since December 2015, to include generalized anxiety disorder and depression.  If diagnoses of generalized anxiety disorder and depression are not warranted, please reconcile these findings with the diagnoses of the same in the Veteran’s VA treatment records.  If PTSD is diagnosed, identify the stressor(s) upon which such diagnosis is based and whether they are related to fear of hostile military or terrorist activity.
(b)	 For each psychiatric disorder other than PTSD diagnosed, please opine as to whether it is at least as likely as not (50 percent or greater probability) that such disorder had its onset in service or is otherwise related to the circumstances of the Veteran’s service, to include any verified stressor.
If unable to opine without resorting to speculation, please state whether the need to speculate is caused by a deficiency in the state of general medical knowledge (i.e. no one could respond given medical science and the known facts) or by a deficiency in the record or the examiner (i.e. additional facts are required, or the examiner does not have the needed knowledge or training.) 
 
S. BUSH
Veterans Law Judge
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD	Victoria L. Stephens, Associate Counsel