Citation Nr: 20028005
Decision Date: 04/21/20	Archive Date: 04/21/20

DOCKET NO. 18-38 275
DATE: April 21, 2020

REMANDED

A compensable rating for hypertension is remanded.

REASONS FOR REMAND

The Veteran served on active duty from June 1965 to February 1969.

This matter comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from a February 2016 rating decision by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

The Veteran’s most recent VA examination for his hypertension occurred in February 2009. Since that time, he has indicated that his disability has worsened. Because it has been eleven years since the last VA examination, remand for a contemporaneous examination is required to assess the current severity of his service-connected disability. See Green v. Derwinski, 1 Vet. App. 121 (1991); see also Snuffer v. Gober, 10 Vet. App. 400, 403 (1997).

The matters are REMANDED for the following action:

1. The AOJ should obtain updated copies of VA treatment records and non-VA treatment records for the Veteran’s disabilities.

2. After the development in the first instruction is completed, the AOJ should arrange for an examination of the Veteran to assess the current severity of his service-connected hypertension. The examiner must review the entire record (including this remand) in conjunction with the examination. The examiner should provide a full description of the disability and report all signs and symptoms associated with the Veteran’s disability.

 

 

Tiffany Dawson

Veterans Law Judge

Board of Veterans’ Appeals

Attorney for the Board	I. Kerner, 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 This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.