Citation Nr: 18112062
Decision Date: 06/18/18	Archive Date: 06/18/18

DOCKET NO. 15-14 556A
DATE:	June 18, 2018
REMANDED
Entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is remanded.
Entitlement to a total rating based upon individual unemployability is remanded.
REASONS FOR REMAND
The Veteran served on active duty in the United State Army from August 1965 to August 1968.
Entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is remanded.
Remand is necessary to afford the Veteran a VA examination.  The Veteran's most recent examination was in August 2013.  When the available evidence is too old to adequately evaluate the current state of a condition, VA must provide a new examination. 38 C.F.R. § 3.326 (2017); Proscelle v. Derwinski, 2 Vet. App. 629, 632 (1992).  Moreover, private treatment records subsequent to that examination suggest a worsening of the disorder.  Therefore, VA must afford the Veteran a VA examination to assess the current severity of his PTSD.
Additionally, the most recent treatment records for the Veteran are dated in 2014.  Therefore, remand is necessary to obtain current treatment records.   

Entitlement to a total rating based upon individual unemployability is remanded.
The TDIU claim is part and parcel of this remaining claim for a higher rating for a PTSD and thus, it too must be remanded.  
The matters are REMANDED for the following action:
1. Obtain any outstanding, relevant treatment records and associate them with the claims file.  To the extent needed, the Veteran should be asked to identify the places and approximate dates of treatment.  All VA records should be obtained.  If there are private records appropriate releases should be requested.  All attempts to obtain records should be documented in the claims folder.
2. Schedule the Veteran for a VA examination to ascertain the current severity and manifestations of his service-connected PTSD. 
Any and all studies, tests, and evaluations deemed necessary by the examiner should be performed. The examiner is requested to review all pertinent records associated with the claims file. 
The examiner should identify the nature, frequency and severity of all current manifestations of the service-connected PTSD. The examiner should also describe all functional impairment, to include how this pathology might impact on employment.
The examiner must provide a detailed explanation for each opinion rendered.
3. The AOJ should review the examination report to ensure that it is in complete compliance with the directives of this remand. If a report is deficient in any manner, the AOJ must implement corrective procedures.  
 
MICHAEL D. LYON
Veterans Law Judge
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD	Shana Z. Siesser, Counsel