Citation Nr: 18156901
Decision Date: 12/11/18	Archive Date: 12/11/18

DOCKET NO. 18-02 330
DATE:	December 11, 2018
REMANDED
Entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is remanded.
REASONS FOR REMAND
The Veteran served on active duty from August 1961 to October 1966.  Service in the Republic of Vietnam is indicated by the record.
This matter comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from an October 2016 rating decision of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO) in Phoenix, Arizona, which granted service connection for PTSD and assigned a 30 percent rating.
1. Entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for service-connected PTSD is remanded.
The Veteran asserts entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for his service-connected PTSD.  He was most recently afforded a VA psychological examination in September 2016 as to the service-connected PTSD.  He has since asserted that his psychological symptoms are more severe than was contemplated by the September 2016 VA examiner.  See the VA Form 9 dated November 2017.  Specifically, the Veteran contends that he suffers from relationship problems and progressively worsening memory loss due to his PTSD, which affect his ability to care for himself.  Id.  In light of the Veteran’s credible contentions, the Board finds that this matter should be remanded in order to afford him a new VA examination to obtain contemporaneous, pertinent information to assess the current nature and severity of his PTSD.  See Snuffer v. Gober, 10 Vet. App. 400 (1997); Caffrey v. Brown, 6 Vet. App. 377 (1994); VAOPGCPREC 11-95 (1995).
The Board additionally notes that the Veteran began receiving VA psychological and psychiatric treatment in 2016.  Thus, upon remand, any previously unobtained ongoing relevant medical records should be procured and associated with the Veteran’s claims file.
The matter is REMANDED for the following action:
1. Obtain all outstanding records of VA evaluation and/or treatment dating from September 2016.  Follow the procedures set forth in 38 C.F.R. § 3.159(c) with respect to requesting records from Federal facilities.  All records/responses received should be associated with the claims file.
Schedule the Veteran for a VA psychiatric examination to determine the severity of his PTSD.  The claims file, including a copy of this remand, must be made available to the examiner for review in connection with the examination.  All necessary tests and studies, including appropriate psychological studies (if determined to be necessary by the examiner), should be conducted in order to identify the degree of social and occupational impairment attributable to PTSD.  The results of any such testing and studies should be included in the examination report.  The examiner should provide a detailed account of all manifestations of the service-connected PTSD found to be present and the comment on the degree of social and occupational impairment attributable to those symptoms.  
 
K. CONNER
Veterans Law Judge
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD	K. K. Buckley, Counsel