Citation Nr: 21020689 Decision Date: 04/07/21 Archive Date: 04/07/21 DOCKET NO. 16-11 222 DATE: April 7, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to a compensable initial rating for right elbow limitation of extension is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty from September 1986 to October 1992. This matter comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on appeal from an August 2013 rating decision issued by the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Board notes that jurisdiction currently rests with the Los Angeles, California RO. Addressing the relevant procedural history, this case was previously before the Board in September of 2018 at which time it was remanded for additional development, to specifically include affording the Veteran the opportunity to complete a VA Form 21-4142 for medical providers who treated his right elbow since March 2012. The case has now been returned to the Board for appellate adjudication. Unfortunately, an additional remand is necessary. Specifically, the Board observes that the RO attempted to inform the Veteran of his opportunity to complete an updated VA Form 21-4142. See September 2019 and January 2020 Subsequent Development Letters. However, the Board notes that the second letter was promptly returned. See February 2020 Returned Mail. Further, it appears that this address was never confirmed by the Veteran and was instead uncovered by VA as a possible address after the Veteran’s now ex-wife reported to VA that they were no longer married and that he no longer resided with her. See November 2018 Report of General Information; see also November 2018 Change of Address Request. The Board cannot discern from the record that the Veteran ever actually received this correspondence and the request it contained for him to complete an updated VA Form 21-4142. The Board notes that when the January 2020 correspondence was returned to the RO in February 2020, the envelope had a label from the postal service which indicates a forwarding address. There is no indication in the file that the correspondence was remained to that new address. As such, the Board cannot make a fully-informed decision on the matter until it is remanded in order to afford the Veteran an additional opportunity to submit an updated VA Form 21-4142. The matters are REMANDED for the following actions: 1. The RO should make all appropriate efforts to ascertain the Veteran’s current mailing address, to include confirming the address shown on the returned envelope received in February 2020. 2. Obtain any outstanding VA treatment records relevant to the claim on appeal and associate them with the claims file. 3. Ask the Veteran to complete a VA Form 21-4142 for any outstanding private medical providers or treatment records relevant to the treatment of his right elbow from March 2012 through the present. Make two requests for the authorized records from those providers identified unless it is clear after the first request that a second request would be futile. 4. Thereafter, readjudicate the claim. If the benefits sought on appeal remain denied, issue a supplemental statement of the case to the Veteran and his representative. Then return the appeal to the Board for further appellate review. MICHAEL MARTIN Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney for the Board K. Smith, 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.