Citation Nr: 18155621
Decision Date: 12/04/18	Archive Date: 12/04/18

DOCKET NO. 16-60 880
DATE:	December 4, 2018
REMANDED
Entitlement to service connection for a psychiatric disability as secondary to service connected disabilities is remanded.
REASONS FOR REMAND
The Veteran served on active service from January 1969 to August 1971 and from May 1976 to April 1980.
1. Entitlement to service connection for a psychiatric disability secondary to service connected disabilities is remanded.
The Veteran’s service connection claim for a psychiatric disability was originally developed and adjudicated as being directly related to his service. However, the Veteran asserted on his VA Form 9 that during his VA examination he was not asked about his feelings regarding his service connected coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy, and peripheral vascular condition and how the service connected disabilities affected his psychiatric condition. He also reported that the theory of secondary service connection was not discussed. The Board interprets the Veteran’s assertion as a claim for entitlement to psychiatric disability secondary to his service connected disabilities. The Board finds that the VA examination of record has not considered this theory of entitlement, and therefore a new VA examination must be scheduled.
The matter is REMANDED for the following action:
1. Schedule the Veteran for a VA examination to determine the etiology of any diagnosed psychiatric disability. The examiner should provide the following opinions:
(a) Is it at least as likely as not (50 percent or greater probability) that any diagnosed psychiatric disability was incurred in or is otherwise related to service to include in-service reports of a personality disorder and periodic depression? Why or why not? 
(b) Is it at least as likely as not (50 percent or greater probability) that any psychiatric disability was proximately due to or caused by the service-connected coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular disease, and peripheral neuropathy? Why or why not?
(c) Is it at least as likely as not (50 percent or greater probability) that any psychiatric disability is aggravated (made worse) by the service-connected coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular disease, and peripheral neuropathy? Why or why not?
2. If aggravation is found, the examiner should identify a baseline level of severity of the acquired psychiatric disability by medical evidence created before the onset of aggravation or by the earliest medical evidence created at any time between the onset of aggravation and the receipt of medical evidence establishing the current level of severity of the acquired psychiatric disability. If such cannot be done, it should be explained why.
 
MATTHEW W. BLACKWELDER
Veterans Law Judge
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD	J. Dworkin, Associate Counsel