Citation Nr: 21065551 Decision Date: 10/26/21 Archive Date: 10/26/21 DOCKET NO. 13-32 877 DATE: October 26, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include bipolar disorder, is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty from August 1964 to July 1967. The Veteran died in October 2014. The appellant is the Veteran's surviving spouse. This matter comes before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from a January 2012 rating decision issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO). A September 2020 Board decision denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include a bipolar disorder. The Appellant timely appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for Veteran's Claims (CAVC). In a June 2021 Order, pursuant to a Joint Motion for Remand (JMR), the Court vacated the September 2020 Board decision that denied entitlement to service connection and remanded the matter for further adjudication consistent with the terms of the Order. 1. Service connection for bipolar disorder The Appellant contends that the Veteran's bipolar disorder was related to service. The June 2021 JMR indicated that vacatur and remand of the decision are warranted, because the Board erred by failing to address evidence of abusive drinking during service in Vietnam. Additionally, the July 2020 VA examiner did not address all evidence of the Veteran's lay statements regarding his drinking while in Vietnam. This evidence is relevant, because alcohol use was a factor in the examiner's rationale regarding the onset of the Veteran's disorder. When VA undertakes to provide a VA examination and/or medical opinion, it must ensure that the examination is adequate, see Barr v. Nicholson, 21 Vet. App. 303, 310-11 (2007), which in this context requires that an examination report sufficiently inform the Board of a medical expert's judgment on a medical question, rely upon all competent medical and lay evidence, including the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and symptomatology, and present a fully articulated, sound rationale. See Nieves-Rodriguez v. Peake, 22 Vet. App. 295, 304 (2008). Because the examiner did not address the Veteran's lay statements to providers regarding his alcohol use in service, and alcohol use was a factor in the examiner's rationale in providing a negative nexus opinion regarding service connection, the examination is inadequate. Therefore, a remand is warranted to obtain an adequate opinion. The matters are REMANDED for the following action: 1. Obtain an addendum opinion as to whether it is at least as likely as not (i.e., 50 percent or greater probability) that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, to include bipolar disorder, is due to or otherwise causally or etiologically related to his military service. The examiner must address: 1) reports of problematic drinking in the 1970's; and 2) an April 2011 Fort Worth VA Clinic Mental Health Outpatient Note, reporting that he started drinking in Vietnam and that he persisted to drink abusively after returning from Vietnam. The examiner must include a rationale with all opinions, citing to supporting clinical data/medical literature as appropriate. KRISTI L. GUNN Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans' Appeals Attorney for the Board K. McKenzie, 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.