Citation Nr: 18158885
Decision Date: 12/19/18	Archive Date: 12/18/18

DOCKET NO. 16-42 851
DATE:	December 19, 2018
REMANDED
Entitlement to an initial increased rating for service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), currently evaluated at 50 percent disabling is remanded.
REASONS FOR REMAND
The Veteran, who is the appellant in this case, had active service from February 1980 to February 1981. These matters come to the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from a December 2013 decision of the Regional Office (RO) in St. Paul, Minnesota.
1. Entitlement to an Increased Rating for Service-Connected PTSD is remanded.
The Veteran contends the service-connected PTSD is more severe than is reflected by the currently assigned 50 percent rating. 
The Veteran last under a VA examination in June 2016. During this examination, the Veteran reported that he had been on inpatient psychiatry 3 times, the most recent time being in 2014.  VA outpatient treatment records reflect he reported he was hospitalized at Peachford Hospital from September 22 until 29, 2014.  Those records are not associated with the claims file and should be obtained.  
At that time of the June 2016 VA examination, no hallucinations were noted.  VA treatment notes show continued mental health treatment. In August 2017, a VA examiner noted that the Veteran continued to endorse chronic derogatory auditory hallucinations. In March 2018, the Veteran indicated that the Veteran indicated the chronic derogatory auditory hallucinations had lessened in intensity since the last visit. While the passage of time alone does not warrant a new examination, given the continued mental health treatment suggesting a worsening of symptoms, the Board finds that a current examination is necessary. Palczewski v. Nicholson, 21 Vet. App. 174 (2007); see also Barr v. Nicholson, 21 Vet. App. 303 (2007).
The matter is REMANDED for the following action:
1.  Associate any VA treatment records after June 16, 2018 with the electronic claims file.
2.  Ask the Veteran to complete a VA Form 21-4142 for Peachford Hospital and any other facilities where he received inpatient treatment for his mental health conditions.  Make two requests for the authorized records from any facility identified, unless it is clear after the first request that a second request would be futile.
3. After the above-requested development, schedule the Veteran for a VA examination with an appropriate mental health professional to address the current nature and severity of his PTSD. The Veteran's electronic claims file must be made available to the examiner for review of the case. A notation to the effect that this record review took place must be included in the report of the examiner.
The examiner should assess the current severity of the Veteran's posttraumatic stress disorder. All signs and symptoms of the psychiatric disability should be reported in detail. The examiner must describe the impact of the Veteran's PTSD on his occupational and social functioning, and discuss the impact it has on his activities of daily living, including his ability to obtain and maintain employment, and its overall functional impact.
 
H. SEESEL
Veterans Law Judge
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD	C. Teague, Associate Counsel