Citation Nr: 18158102 Decision Date: 12/18/18 Archive Date: 12/14/18 DOCKET NO. 16-52 211 DATE: December 18, 2018 REMANDED A rating in excess of 50 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is remanded. A total disability rating for compensation based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is remanded.  REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty from June 2010 to July 2011. She had additional service in the Army National Guard, including a period of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) from July 2009 to December 2009. The case is on appeal from a July 2015 rating decision. An earlier September 2014 rating decision granted service connection for PTSD, effective May 12, 2014, and assigned a 50 percent rating. The Veteran did not appeal that earlier decision but submitted another claim and additional evidence. The July 2015 rating decision made a determination on this additional evidence, including the evidence received within one year of the September 2014 rating decision. 1. A rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD. The Veteran maintains that she is entitled to a higher rating for her service-connected PTSD. She contends that she has lost her ability to earn income and maintain gainful employment since February 2015 as a result of her military sexual trauma she experienced while in service. More specifically, the Veteran indicates that she continues to have difficulty working with men due to her trauma. The Veteran was additionally medically retired from service for not being able to complete her soldier duties because of her PTSD. In a November 2017 letter, the Veteran indicates that she had been receiving weekly therapy from a counselor at the Vet Center in Madison. The Veteran had stopped treatment for a period of time due to complications with her pregnancy and the counselor’s own maternity leave, but would resume counseling with that individual soon and was setting up future appointments. The last treatment update from the referenced counselor was in March 2015. In addition, the Veteran’s claims file includes a January 2018 letter from the Madison VA Medical Center (VAMC) indicating that the Veteran has been receiving mental health treatment at their location, recently started a new medication for PTSD, and was currently in a weekly trauma group for women. There are no further medical records in the claims file since the Veteran has resumed mental health treatment. The Board finds that the records related to treatment or therapy for the Veteran’s PTSD during the appeal period are potentially relevant to the Veteran’s claim for a higher rating. As such, a complete record, which includes all records of the Veteran’s treatment, including records related to her psychiatry/pharmacology treatment, weekly trauma group, and one-on-one sessions with her VA counselor, is required so that the adjudication of the Veteran’s claim is a fully informed one. In any case, sufficiently identified VA medical records are to be obtained under the duty to assist, regardless of their relevance. See Sullivan v. McDonald, 815 F.3d 786, 793 (Fed. Cir. 2016). The Board also finds that in light of this remand, a new VA examination is warranted to determine the Veteran’s current mental health severity. 2. A TDIU. The Veteran contends that she is entitled to a TDIU due to her PTSD. She was medically retired from service in 2016 for not being able to complete her soldier duties due to her PTSD, and she asserts that she has lost her ability to earn income and maintain gainful employment since February 2015 due to her military sexual trauma. The Veteran asserts that past examiners have provided statements regarding her current and past employment, but have not provided an opinion about her actual employability. The Board finds that in light of this remand, a new VA examination is also warranted to assess the Veteran’s ability to maintain gainful employment. The issue of TDIU is also intertwined with the Veteran’s pending increased rating appeal for her PTSD. See Harris v. Derwinski, 1 Vet. App. 180, 183 (1991). As such, the Veteran’s claim for TDIU is also remanded. The matters are REMANDED for the following action: 1. Obtain any updated VA dated since January 2018, including mental health treatment records from the Madison VAMC, and any associated Vet Center if warranted. 2. Schedule the Veteran for a VA examination by an appropriate clinician to ascertain the current severity of her PTSD. This should include an opinion commenting on the effect that the Veteran’s service-connected PTSD has on her ability to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation given her education and work history. A complete rationale or explanation should be provided for any opinion reached. RYAN T. KESSEL Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD S. Morford, Associate Counsel