Citation Nr: 20022413
Decision Date: 03/31/20	Archive Date: 03/31/20

DOCKET NO. 10-07 185
DATE: March 31, 2020

REMANDED

Entitlement to service connection for hypertension, to include as secondary to service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is remanded.

REASONS FOR REMAND

The Veteran served on active duty from March 1966 to March 1970. 

This matter comes to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from a January 2009 rating decision of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO).

This matter is currently before the Board on remand from the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (Court). In September 2019, the parties filed a Joint Motion for Partial Remand (JMPR) to vacate and remand that portion of a December 2018 that denied this issue. In October 2019, the Court issued an Order granting the JMPR and remanding the appeal for action consistent with the JMPR. 

Entitlement to service connection for hypertension, to include as secondary to service-connected PTSD, is remanded.

In accordance with the September 2019 JMPR, on remand, a new VA medical opinion should be obtained to opine whether the Veteran’s hypertension is related to his service or caused or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD. The JMPR indicates the parties agreed that a January 2018 VA medical opinion on these questions was inadequate because the examiner failed to complete the portion of the examination template addressing secondary service connection and the opinion is otherwise not supported by an adequate rationale.

The matters are REMANDED for the following action:

1. Obtain an addendum opinion from an appropriate clinician regarding whether the Veteran’s hypertension is at least as likely as not: 

a)	related to an in-service injury, event, or disease,

b)	proximately due to his service-connected PTSD, or, 

c)	aggravated beyond its natural progression by his service-connected PTSD.

A complete rationale for all opinions must be provided. Each rationale must be separately stated.

 

 

J. B. FREEMAN

Veterans Law Judge

Board of Veterans’ Appeals

Attorney for the Board	A. Boal, Associate Counsel

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 This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.