Citation Nr: 21015956 Decision Date: 03/18/21 Archive Date: 03/18/21 DOCKET NO. 17-22 962 DATE: March 18, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to an effective date prior to August 27, 2011 for the 100 percent evaluation of depression/posttraumatic stress disorder is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran had active military service from January 2009 to October 2009. This matter comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from a February 2016 rating decision of a VA Regional Office (RO). The Veteran testified before the undersigned Veterans Law Judge at a June 2020 hearing. In a December 2020 decision, the Board remanded this claim for additional record development. The Board finds that the RO substantially complied with its remand directives. The Veteran asserts that her service-connected PTSD and depression disability resulted in total occupational and social impairment prior to her current effective date of August 27, 2011. The Veteran’s Social Security Administration (SSA) records, received in December 2020, reflect that the Veteran was granted SSA disability in an April 2012 decision. The records also contain substantial information regarding the Veteran’s mental health and treatment history. Notably, in the SSA records, the Veteran reported that she was unable to work since May 2011. The Veteran provided her employment history to the SSA on different occasions; however, the dates she provided conflict with one another and with her time in active service. Given the new facts presented by the SSA records, the Board finds that this claim must be remanded again so that additional information regarding the Veteran’s employment history can be requested and so she can be afforded a retrospective VA medical opinion on the severity of her psychiatric disabilities prior to August 2011. The matters are REMANDED for the following action: 1. Request that the Veteran complete and return a VA 21-4192, Request for Employment Information in Connection with Claim for Disability, and provide a complete work history for the period from October 30, 2009, her last day of active service, to August 27, 2011. 2. After completion of the above action, or after a reasonable period has passed with no response, request a retrospective VA medical opinion from an appropriate psychiatrist or psychologist. The examiner is requested to assess the nature and severity of the Veteran’s service-connected PTSD and depression prior to August 27, 2011. The examiner should explicitly state the degree of occupational and social impairment caused by the Veteran’s service-connected psychiatric disabilities during the period in question. The entire claims file, including a copy of this remand, should be provided to the examiner and reviewed before providing the requested opinion. In forming their opinion, the examiner must review and consider the Veteran’s lay statements, including her June 2020 Board Hearing testimony, and the SSA records received in December 2020. A rationale must be provided for all opinions expressed, and all relevant evidence must be addressed in that rationale, to the extent necessary. A. C. MACKENZIE Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney for the Board E. Hicks, 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.