Citation Nr: 20050108 Decision Date: 07/28/20 Archive Date: 07/28/20 DOCKET NO. 17-27 823 DATE: July 28, 2020 REMANDED Entitlement to an initial disability rating greater than 30 percent for service-connected unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served honorably on active duty from May 1969 through February 1971 in the United States Army, including service in the Republic of Vietnam. The Veteran was awarded (among many other decorations) the Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal, and Army Commendation Medal. This matter is before the Board of Veterans' Appeal (Board) on appeal from an August 2015 rating decision issued by the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO) in Waco, Texas. In November 2018, the Veteran testified at a Travel Board hearing before the undersigned Veterans Law Judge. In an August 2019 decision, the Board denied the Veteran’s claim for an increased rating for his service-connected psychiatric disorder, as well as for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for that condition. The Board also granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability. The Veteran appealed the denial of his increased rating claim to the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (Court). In February 2020, the Court approved a Joint Motion for Remand that vacated the Board’s decision with respect to the increased rating claim; the Joint Motion specifically noted that the effective date issue was not being challenged, so that claim is no longer before the Board. Entitlement to an initial disability rating greater than 30 percent for service-connected an unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder (psychiatric disability) is remanded. The Veteran is seeking a disability rating greater than 30 percent for his service-connected psychiatric disability. As noted above, this claim was the subject of a January 2020 Joint Motion; in that Joint Motion, the parties found that the August 2019 Board decision did not adequately address the Veteran’s testimony regarding his psychiatric symptomology, specifically with regards to suicidal ideation and memory impairment. Subsequent to the Joint Motion, the Veteran has contended that his disability has increased in severity since the time of his previous VA examination. Considering that contention, the Board shall remand the claim in order that the Veteran may undergo a contemporaneous examination. (Continued on next page) The matters are REMANDED for the following action: Schedule the Veteran for an appropriate VA examination to determine the current severity of his service-connected psychiatric disorder. Evan M. Deichert Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney for the Board J.R. Higgins, 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.