Citation Nr: 21072594 Decision Date: 12/03/21 Archive Date: 12/03/21 DOCKET NO. 17-09 576 DATE: December 3, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for a back disability is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty from January 1990 to July 1991. This matter is on appeal before the Board of Veterans Appeals (Board) from an October 2016 decision of a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO). In September 2021, a Board hearing was held before the undersigned; a transcript of the hearing is of record. Entitlement to service connection for a back disability is remanded. At the September 2021 Board hearing, the Veteran testified that he is in receipt of Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits, including for his back disability. The claims file does not appear to contain any records from the Social Security Administration (SSA), to include medical records, which may pertain to the Veteran's claimed low back disability. Accordingly, a remand is necessary to obtain any available outstanding SSA records. See Golz v. Shinseki, 590 F.3d 1317, 1320-1321 (Fed. Cir. 2010) (VA's duty to assist includes obtaining records from SSA when potentially relevant). Also, the Veteran was afforded a VA contract examination in September 2016 to assess the likelihood that his current low back disability is related to military service. The examiner opined that the Veteran's low back disability was less likely than not incurred in or caused by military service, noting that the Veteran reported that the source of his back pain was a stab injury in the T5 region of the right posterior back. Notably, the stab injury referred to by the Veteran occurred during service in June 1990. The Board finds the VA contract examiner's reasoning inadequate as he did not provide any explanation why the in-service stab wound in the back area would less likely than not cause the Veteran's current low back disability. Accordingly, on remand, an addendum opinion concerning the likely etiology of the Veteran's current back disability should be obtained from a qualified medical professional. Prior to arranging for the addendum opinion, the agency of original jurisdiction should obtain updated VA treatment records dated from November 2019 to the present (along with any available SSA records). The matter is REMANDED for the following action: 1. Obtain any available records from the Social Security Administration (SSA), including copies of any benefit decisions, and copies of all associated medical records in the custody of SSA. 2. Obtain any outstanding VA treatment records dated from 2000 to 2014 at VA facilities in Detroit and South Carolina and from 2014 to the present at VA facilities in Florida. 3. Thereafter, obtain an addendum opinion from a qualified medical professional concerning the likely etiology of the Veteran's current low back disability. The medical professional should review the claims file prior to rendering the opinion. This review should include the Veteran's service treatment records, including records of treatment following the Veteran's stab wound incurred in June 1990, the July 1991 separation examination and the July 1991 report of medical history at separation; the post-service VA treatment records; the Veteran's SSA records; the September 2016 VA contract examination report; the September 2021 Board hearing transcript; and any other information of record deemed pertinent. The medical professional should then provide an opinion in answer to the following question: Is it at least as likely as not that the Veteran's current back disability is related to his military service, including the stab wound that he suffered therein? The examiner should explain the rationale for the opinion provided. S. HENEKS Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans' Appeals Attorney for the Board Dan Brook, 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.