Citation Nr: 21007735 Decision Date: 02/10/21 Archive Date: 02/10/21 DOCKET NO. 18-06 071 DATE: February 10, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for hypertension, to include as secondary to service-connected diabetes mellitus, is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty from February 1960 to February 1968. This matter is before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from a February 2015 rating decision of the Columbia, South Carolina Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO). This matter was previously remanded by the Board in June 2019. While the Board regrets the delay, it is necessary to ensure that there is a complete record upon which to decide the Veteran’s claim so that he is afforded every possible consideration. Stegall v. West, 11 Vet. App. 268, 271 (1998). In June 2019, the Board found that remand was warranted in order for the Veteran’s private treatment records from January 2007 to December 2008 to be obtained from Dr. R.V., the Veteran’s private treating physician. The Board also instructed the RO to notify the Veteran if any outstanding records were found to be unavailable, in accordance with 38 C.F.R. § 3.159(e). The Board further requested for a VA examination to address whether the Veteran’s service-connected diabetes mellitus aggravated his hypertension. In doing so, the VA examiner was asked to specifically consider and address the private medical record from January 2007 to December 2007 regarding the onset of the hypertension through multiple elevated blood pressure readings. The Veteran provided a release for VA to obtain the private treatment records from Dr. R.V. ranging from 2007 to 2009. VA requested the aforementioned records from Dr. R.V., and medical records were received. However, the medical records were not from the date range that the Veteran specified. Rather, the private medical records spanned a period from January 2017 to December 2018. Accordingly, the Board finds that the record is still incomplete, as the private treatment records from Dr. R.V. ranging from January 2007 to December 2008 have not yet been associated with the record, the record is silent for any formal findings of unavailability, and the Veteran has not been informed if the aforementioned records are unavailable. As such, remand is warranted. The matters are REMANDED for the following action: 1. Make reasonable efforts to obtain any outstanding and relevant private treatment records, to include treatment records from Dr. R.V. from January 2007 to December 2008. With the Veteran’s assistance, if necessary, obtain copies of any pertinent records and add them to the claims file. If VA attempts to obtain any outstanding records which are unavailable, the Veteran should be notified in accordance with 38 C.F.R. § 3.159(e). 2. If and only if the records from January 2007 through December 2008 are obtained and associated with the claims file, obtain an addendum opinion from an appropriate VA clinician. The examiner must opine as to whether it is at least as likely as not (i.e., 50 percent probability or greater) that the Veteran’s hypertension was proximately due to or aggravated beyond its natural progress by the Veteran’s service-connected diabetes mellitus. The VA examiner is asked to specifically consider and discuss the private medical record for the period of time from January 2007 through December 2007 from Dr. R.V., which according to the Veteran’s private September 2013 Disability Benefits Questionnaire (DBQ) indicate the period of time regarding the onset of his hypertension through multiple elevated blood pressure readings. A. ISHIZAWAR Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney for the Board A. Griffin, 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.