Citation Nr: 21041761
Decision Date: 07/10/21	Archive Date: 07/10/21

DOCKET NO. 18-06 694
DATE: July 10, 2021

REMANDED

Entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is remanded.

REASONS FOR REMAND

The Veteran served on active duty in the Army from May 1968 to June 1975. This case comes before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on an appeal from a September 2015 rating decision by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office. 

The Veteran testified before the undersigned at a Board videoconference hearing in April 2021, and a copy of the hearing transcript has been obtained and associated with the record. 

Entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to include posttraumatic stress disorder is remanded.

The Veteran appeals his denial of service connection for PTSD. The Veteran testified that his PTSD is related to service.

The Veteran underwent VA examinations in September 2013 and in April 2015. At both examinations, the Veteran was diagnosed with adjustment disorder with mixed depression and anxiety, but it was determined that his symptoms were not severe enough to either interfere with occupational and social functioning or to require continuous medications. The examiners determined the Veteran did not meet the requirements necessary for a PTSD diagnosis.

Subsequently, in August 2018, the Veteran was diagnosed with PTSD. However, the psychiatrist who diagnosed the Veteran, did not provide a nexus opinion addressing whether his PTSD is related to service. 

The Board cannot make a fully informed decision on this issue because no examiner has opined as to whether his current diagnosis of PTSD is related to service. On remand, the Veteran should be provided with a VA examination to obtain a nexus opinion with regard to this issue. 

The matter is REMANDED for the following action:

Schedule the Veteran for an examination by an appropriate clinician to determine the nature and etiology of all diagnoses of acquired psychiatric disabilities to include his PTSD and adjustment disorder with mixed depression and anxiety. The claims file should be made available for review, and the examination report should reflect that such review occurred. 

The examiner must opine whether it is at least as likely as not (50 percent probability or greater) that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disabilities, to include PTSD, are related to an in-service injury, event, or disease.

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A complete rationale is requested for any opinions expressed. If the requested opinion cannot be provided without resort to speculations, the examiner should so state and explain why an opinion would be speculative.

 

 

J. B. FREEMAN

Veterans Law Judge

Board of Veterans' Appeals

Attorney for the Board	A. Doerfler, 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.