Citation Nr: 20007207 Decision Date: 01/28/20 Archive Date: 01/28/20 DOCKET NO. 14-43 172 DATE: January 28, 2020 REMANDED Entitlement to an evaluation in excess of 50 percent for panic disorder with agoraphobia is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty from September 1992 to March 1994. This matter comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal of a July 2014 rating decision by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO) in St. Petersburg, Florida. In May 2018, the Board remanded the appeal for VA and private medical records to be obtained. See May 2018 Remand. Entitlement to an evaluation in excess of 50 percent for panic disorder with agoraphobia is remanded. Although the Board regrets the delay, remand is necessary to ensure that there is a complete and adequate record upon which to decide the Veteran’s claim. 38 U.S.C. § 5103A; 38 C.F.R. § 3.159. Following the May 2018 remand, the Veteran’s VA medical records were obtained; however, she did not respond to a December 2018 request for authorization of her private medical records. The Veteran has contended that a current examination is necessary to determine the severity of her disability. See March 2018 Appellate Brief; January 2020 Appellate Brief. The record shows she was last examined in April 2016 and she asserts that her disability is more severe than currently evaluated. See April 2016 VA Examination. In light of the Veteran’s assertions her psychiatric disorder is more severe than reflected on the April 2016 VA examination and the significant period of time since she was last examined by VA, the Board agrees an updated examination is necessary to clarify the severity of the Veteran’s symptomatology. See Green v. Derwinski, 1 Vet. App. 121, 124 (1991) (VA has a duty to provide the Veteran with a thorough and contemporaneous medical examination). The matters are REMANDED for the following action: (Continued on the next page)   1. The AOJ should obtain from the VA Medical Center(s) all outstanding, pertinent records of evaluation of the Veteran. 2. Arrange to have the Veteran scheduled for a VA psychiatric examination for purposes of assessing the current severity of her panic disorder with agoraphobia. The examiner should provide a full description of the Veteran’s associated functional impairments as they relate to her ability to engage in occupational and social activity. The examiner is asked to take a through history of the Veteran’s symptoms during the entire appellate period (March 2014 to current). A. S. CARACCIOLO Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney for the Board Department of Veterans Affairs The Board’s decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential, and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.