Citation Nr: 21014954 Decision Date: 03/16/21 Archive Date: 03/16/21 DOCKET NO. 14-42 381 DATE: March 16, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for a dental disorder for compensation purposes, to include as secondary to service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder, is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty from April 1980 to May 1981. The Board acknowledges that a claim for service connection for a dental condition is also considered a claim for VA outpatient dental treatment. See Mays v. Brown, 5 Vet. App. 302, 306 (1993). However, in dental claims, the Regional Office (RO) adjudicates the claim of service connection and the VA Medical Center (VAMC) adjudicates the claim for outpatient treatment. As this matter stems from an adverse RO determination, the appeal is limited to the issue of entitlement to service connection for a dental trauma for compensation purposes. Moreover, it appears service connection for dental treatment was previously granted for several teeth to include by a May 1984 rating action. 1. Entitlement to service connection for a dental disorder for compensation purposes, to include as secondary to service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder, is remanded. During a March 2020 VA examination, the Veteran was diagnosed with temporomandibular joint disorder. In a December 2020 addendum opinion, the examiner determined that “stress was a direct cause to claimant TMJ.” The examiner also noted that the Veteran experienced stress during service. The Veteran is currently service-connected for an acquired psychiatric disorder, rated as 100 percent disabling. In a January 2021 statement, the Veteran’s representative noted that the symptomology of the Veteran’s acquired psychiatric disorder causes stress, and claimed that the Veteran’s temporomandibular joint disorder is etiologically related to his acquired psychiatric disorder. No VA examiner has opined as to whether the Veteran’s diagnosed temporomandibular joint disorder is caused or aggravated by his service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder. A remand is needed to obtain an additional VA opinion. The matters are REMANDED for the following action: 1. Obtain VA treatment records since December 2020 and associate them with the claims file. 2. Forward the Veteran’s claims file to a qualified examiner for an opinion addressing the nature and etiology of any current dental disorders. The examiner should address the following questions: (a) Is it at least as likely as not (50 percent or greater possibility) that the Veteran’s diagnosed temporomandibular joint disorder is etiologically related to stress he experienced during military service? (b) Is it at least as likely as not (i.e., probability of 50 percent or greater) that stress caused by the symptoms of the Veteran’s acquired psychiatric disorder caused the TMJ disorder OR has aggravated (a medically discernible increase in functional impairment e.g. increase in the severity, frequency or duration of symptoms or additional functional impairment beyond the expected baseline impairment) his diagnosed temporomandibular joint disorder? In answering those questions, the examiner must specifically address the December 2020 VA opinion indicating stress causes the Veteran’s temporomandibular joint disorder. If an examination is needed, one should be scheduled. A complete rationale must be provided for any opinion offered. T. MAINELLI Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney for the Board C. Howell, 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.