Citation Nr: 18159247
Decision Date: 12/18/18	Archive Date: 12/18/18

DOCKET NO. 16-56 393
DATE:	December 18, 2018
REMANDED
Entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is remanded.
REASONS FOR REMAND
The Veteran served on active duty in the United States Air Force from August 2009 to August 2012.  This matter comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from a July 2016 rating decision from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO). 
The Veteran’s claim of service connection has been recharacterized to include all psychiatric disorders reasonably raised by the record.  Clemons v. Shinseki, 23 Vet. App. 1 (2009).
The Board notes that in March 2015, the Veteran perfected his appeal regarding four additional issues and requested a hearing on these issues.  See February 2015 Statement of the Case; March 2015 Substantive Appeal VA Form 9.  As a hearing on these issues has not yet been scheduled, the Board will not address them here.
The Veteran seeks service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder.  He asserts that his currently diagnosed disorder had its onset in service and has been recurrent since that time.  The record is clear that the Veteran is currently diagnosed with a social anxiety disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.  See Output Records, October 2015.  The Veteran also reported anger outbursts, panic episodes, irritability, anxiety, depression and stress symptoms in connection with his anxiety disorder.  See Output Records, October 2015.  However, there is insufficient lay or medical evidence of record to support establishment of service connection.  As such, remand is warranted to provide the Veteran with a VA examination addressing the onset and etiology of his current psychiatric disorder(s). 
Accordingly, the matter is REMANDED for the following action:
1. Obtain all outstanding VA medical records and ask the Veteran to provide authorizations for any private medical records he would like considered in connection with his appeal.
2. Notify the Veteran that he may submit lay statements from himself and from other individuals who have first-hand knowledge, and/or were contemporaneously informed of his in-service and post-service psychiatric symptomatology. The Veteran should be provided an appropriate amount of time to submit this lay evidence.
3. Schedule the Veteran for the appropriate VA examination to address his claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder.  The examiner should opine whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran’s psychiatric disorder (1) had an onset in service, (2) is related to an event, injury or disease incurred in service, (3) is related to a service-connected disability, or (4) is aggravated by a service-connected disability.  

In reaching his or her conclusion, the examiner should consider the Veteran’s lay statements concerning the onset and recurrence of his symptoms.  Additionally, the examiner should review and consider the March 2010 Periodic Health Assessment noting that the Veteran initially reported “25 out of 30 bad mental health days” (later indicating that he misunderstood the question) and further reported his concern about the impact of his anger on social relationships and work.
 
TRACIE N. WESNER
Acting Veterans Law Judge
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD	T. Jones, Associate Counsel