Citation Nr: 21072537 Decision Date: 12/03/21 Archive Date: 12/03/21 DOCKET NO. 16-46 522 DATE: December 3, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to an initial rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is excess of 30 percent prior to August 11, 2016 and in excess of 50 percent thereafter is remanded. Entitlement to a total rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty from June 1989 to August 2013. This matter comes to the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from a September 2013 rating decision of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO). The appeal was previously before the Board in June 2021, when it was remanded for further development, that development was completed, and the case has since been returned to the Board for appellate review. 1. Entitlement to an initial rating for PTSD is excess of 30 percent prior to August 11, 2016 and in excess of 50 percent thereafter is remanded. The Veteran has not been examined in conjunction with this claim since August 2016. VA treatment obtained on remand suggest the Veteran's PTSD symptoms have worsened since the 2016 VA examination. A September 2016 VA mental health note shows the Veteran endorsed symptoms of chest tightness and severe anger when his wife touches him. He also endorsed homicidal ideation. An August 2020 VA treatment record documents the Veteran has a service dog that helps him when he is angry or feels suicidal. A September 2020 VA treatment record notes the Veteran reported he wakes up angry and he endorsed suicidal ideation. As a current disability picture is crucial to an accurate adjudication in this matter, a contemporaneous examination is needed. See Snuffer v. Gober, 10 Vet. App. 400, 403 (1997); see also Green v. Derwinski, 1 Vet. App. 121 (1991) (VA has a duty to conduct a thorough and contemporaneous examination of the Veteran in an increased rating claim); Schafrath v. Derwinski, 1 Vet. App. 589 (1991). 2. Entitlement to a TDIU is remanded. The matter of entitlement to TDIU is inextricably intertwined with the other remanded issue; accordingly, it must be remanded as well. The matters are REMANDED for the following action: 1. Obtain all outstanding VA treatment records and associate them with the claims file. 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 necessary for evaluating the Veteran's disability under the rating criteria. The examiner must attempt to elicit information regarding the severity, frequency, and duration of symptoms. The examiner should specifically attempt to ascertain the date on which the Veteran began experiencing suicidal ideation. To the extent possible, the examiner should identify any symptoms and social and occupational impairment due to his PTSD alone. All opinions must include a detailed rationale. Providing an opinion without one will delay processing of the claim and may require clarification. 3. After the above medical evidence has been obtained and the increased rating claim for the PTSD has been adjudicated, re-adjudicate the claim for TDIU. David Gratz Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans' Appeals Attorney for the Board D. Braxton, 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.