Citation Nr: 21001809 Decision Date: 01/11/21 Archive Date: 01/11/21 DOCKET NO. 18-44 036 DATE: January 11, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to a rating in excess of 30 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The appellant is a Veteran who served on active duty from July 1969 to July 1971. This matter is before the Board on appeal from a February 2018 rating decision, which granted service connection for PTSD, rated 30 percent. In October 2020, a videoconference Board hearing was held before the undersigned; a transcript is in the record. Entitlement to a rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD is remanded. The Veteran asserts that his disability has worsened since the most recent [November 2017] VA examination. At the October 2020 hearing, he testified that he has panic attacks more than twice a week, and his short-term memory is impaired, causing him to forget to complete necessary tasks. He testified that certain music or sounds, such as a helicopter, cause mood disturbances. He testified that he had lost his friends and even his family finds him strange. He testified that he has had suicidal ideations and he would have difficulty being in a work or work-like setting. Given the length of time since the most recent examination and the allegation of worsening, the Board finds that a new examination is necessary. The record reflects that pertinent Vet Center treatment records may be outstanding. The most recent Vet Center treatment records in the claims file are from October 2017. Records of any evaluations or treatment received since then are constructively of record and must be secured. The matter is REMANDED for the following action: 1. Obtain complete updated (to the present, from October 2017) records of the Veteran’s Vet Center mental health evaluations and treatment. 2. Then, arrange for a psychiatric evaluation of the Veteran to assess the severity of his service-connected psychiatric disability. The examiner should review the Veteran’s claims file (including his hearing testimony) and the schedular criteria for rating mental disorders and should note the presence or absence of each symptom in the schedular criteria for 50 percent and higher ratings, as well as any symptoms of equivalent nature and severity that are not listed. The examiner should describe the impact the psychiatric disability has on the Veteran’s occupational and daily activity living functioning. If a worsening of the manifestations and impairment due to the PTSD is found, the examiner is also asked to (to the extent possible) identify when the worsening of the disability (based on evidence of record) occurred/is first shown. All opinions must include rationale that cites to supported facts in the record and medical principles, as deemed appropriate. GEORGE R. SENYK Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney for the Board D. Schechner, 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.