Citation Nr: 21074871
Decision Date: 12/16/21	Archive Date: 12/16/21

DOCKET NO. 17-04 621A
DATE: December 16, 2021

REMANDED

Service connection for valvular heart disease.

Service connection for hypertensive heart disease.

Service connection for atrial fibrillation.

REASONS FOR REMAND

When the case was previously before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) in December 2018 it was remanded for additional development, to include obtaining all outstanding VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his current valvular heart disease, hypertensive heart disease, and atrial fibrillation.

No new VA treatment records were added to the claims file (additional copies of the same VA treatment records dating through March 31, 2016 were added in September 2019) and although the September 2020 supplemental statement of the case (SSOC) referred to a September 15, 2020 VA examination report containing the opinions requested in the December 2018 remand, no such examination report is in the claims file. As such, a remand is required in order to associate the September 15, 2020 VA examination report with the claims file.

Additionally, as the September 2020 SSOC does not reference any new VA treatment records added to the file, nor is there any documentation in the claims file indicating that VA treatment records dating since March 31, 2016 do not exist or are unavailable, on remand all appropriate effort must be undertaken to obtain any available VA treatment records dating since March 31, 2016.

The matters are REMANDED for the following action:

1. Obtain and associate with the claims file any available VA treatment records dating since March 31, 2016. If no such records exist, documentation of such must be formally recorded in the record.

2. Then, associate with the claims file the September 15, 2020 VA examination report containing the opinions requested in the December 2018 remand.

 

 

Roya Bahrami

Acting Veterans Law Judge

Board of Veterans' Appeals

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 This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.