Citation Nr: 18160274 Decision Date: 12/26/18 Archive Date: 12/26/18 DOCKET NO. 17-01 265 DATE: December 26, 2018 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition, to include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty in the United States Air Force from November 1970 to May 1980. This matter is before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from a November 2015 rating decision issued by a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO). The issue has been recharacterized to reflect all potentially diagnosed acquired psychiatric disorders. The Veteran, as a layperson, is not competent to distinguish between competing psychiatric diagnoses, and so a claim of service connection for one is considered a claim for all. Clemons v. Shinseki, 23 Vet. App. 1 (2009). The Veteran contends that he has PTSD as a result of his service in Japan during the Vietnam War. He was diagnosed with PTSD in April 2015 by a private physician. However, this diagnosis was not in accord with DSM-5. Relevant VA regulations were recently revised to incorporate the Fifth Edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) rather than the Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). These provisions apply to cases received by or pending before the agency of original jurisdiction on or after August 4, 2014. The change does not apply to cases certified to the Board prior to that date. In this case, the Veteran’s claim was certified to the Board after August 4, 2014; therefore, the regulations pertaining to the DSM-5 are for application. On remand, the VA examination and medical opinion obtained should incorporate consideration of the DSM-5 criteria. See Barr v. Nicholson, 21 Vet. App. 303, 311 (2007). Treatment records indicate that the Veteran experiences symptoms of depression and anxiety, and potentially diagnoses of conditions other than PTSD. The lack of a verified stressor event is therefore not necessarily fatal to his claim, and the application of the correct diagnostic criteria takes on greater importance. Further, a nexus opinion has not been obtained with regard to these conditions. Where there is evidence of a current disability and in-service incident or injury, and the possibility of a nexus between them, remand is required to obtain an examination and medical opinion. 38 U.S.C. § 5103A (d); 38 C.F.R. § 3.159 (c)(4); McLendon v. Nicholson, 20 Vet. App. 79 (2006). The matter is REMANDED for the following action: 1. Schedule the Veteran for a VA mental disorders/initial PTSD examination. The claims folder must be reviewed in conjunction with the examination. The examiner must, applying the provisions of the DSM-5, identify all currently diagnosed psychiatric disorders and for each such must opine as to whether it is at least as likely as not related to military service. Full and complete rationales are required for all opinions expressed. 2. Upon completion of the above, and any additional development deemed appropriate, readjudicate the remanded issue. If the benefit sought remains denied, the Veteran should be provided with a supplemental statement of the case. The case should then be returned to the Board for appellate review if otherwise in order. WILLIAM H. DONNELLY Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD K. McDermott, Associate Counsel