Citation Nr: 18155097
Decision Date: 12/04/18	Archive Date: 12/03/18

DOCKET NO. 15-06 952
DATE:	December 4, 2018
REMANDED
Entitlement to service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is remanded.
REASONS FOR REMAND
The Veteran served on active duty from March 1966 to January 1969.  He served in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam War.  
This matter comes on appeal before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) from a November 2014 rating decision of a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO).  
The Veteran waived a hearing before the Board in his September 2015 substantive appeal, via a VA Form 9. 
Entitlement to service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is remanded.
As noted above, the RO denied service connection for PTSD in a November 2014 rating decision.  The Veteran initiated an appeal by submitting a timely notice of disagreement in December 2014.  A statement of the case (SOC) was issued in February 2015, and the Veteran perfected his appeal by submitting a timely substantive appeal, via a February 2015 VA Form 9, which was received by VA in March 2015.  
After the RO issued the February 2015 SOC, the Veteran submitted a private disability benefits questionnaire (DBQ) in June 2015 from a private psychologist, Dr. M.M.P.  In response, the RO obtained an additional VA examination and medical opinion in March 2016.  Moreover, additional pertinent VA treatment records were added after the SOC.  However, no supplemental statement of the case (SSOC) was issued, and the claim was certified to the Board in July 2016.  Notably, the Veteran did not waive initial RO consideration of the VA medical evidence added to the file since the February 2015 SOC; thus, a remand is necessary for the RO to issue an SSOC.  See 38 C.F.R. §§ 19.31, 19.37.
The matter is REMANDED for the following action:
1. Obtain any outstanding pertinent VA treatment records and associate them with the claims file. 
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2.  Then, review the record since the February 2015 SOC, to include the June 2015 private psychiatric DBQ, the March 2016 VA examination and medical opinion, and additional pertinent VA treatment records.  Readjudicate the claim in an SSOC, and provide a copy to the Veteran and his representative, and return to the Board for further appellate consideration.
 
S. B. MAYS
Veterans Law Judge
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD	T. Harper, Associate Counsel