Citation Nr: 21064358
Decision Date: 10/19/21	Archive Date: 10/19/21

DOCKET NO. 18-55 072
DATE: October 19, 2021

REMANDED

A rating higher than 50 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is remanded.

REASONS FOR REMAND

The Veteran had active service in the U.S. Army from June 1988 to September 1995.  This matter comes before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from a September 2018 rating decision.  It was previously denied by the Board in December 2019.  The Veteran appealed that decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (Court).  Pursuant to a June 2021 Joint Motion for Remand, the Court remanded the matter back to the Board for further adjudication.

The Veteran was afforded a VA examination for his PTSD in August 2018.  VA treatment records associated with the claims file are dated through September 2018.  In order to accurately assess the current severity of his disability, he should be afforded a new VA examination, and his updated VA treatment records should be obtained.

 

The matter is REMANDED for the following action:

1. Obtain the Veteran's VA treatment records for the period from September 2018 through the present.

2. Schedule the Veteran for an examination by an appropriate clinician to determine the current severity of his service-connected PTSD.  The examiner should provide a full description of the disability and report all signs and symptoms associated with PTSD.  The examiner must attempt to elicit information regarding the severity, frequency, and duration of symptoms.  To the extent possible, the examiner should identify any symptoms and social and occupational impairment due to PTSD alone.

 

 

JOHN Z. JONES

Veterans Law Judge

Board of Veterans' Appeals

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 This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.