Citation Nr: 22012211 Decision Date: 03/02/22 Archive Date: 03/02/22 DOCKET NO. 18-37 980 DATE: March 2, 2022 REMANDED Entitlement to special monthly compensation based on a need for aid and attendance or due to being housebound is remanded. REFERRED At the hearing before the undersigned, the Veteran expressed a desire to submit claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy and cervical spondylosis. These issues are therefore referred to the Agency of Original Jurisdiction (AOJ) so that they can provide the Veteran with the appropriate form to submit these claims. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty from April 1972 to April 1976. This case comes to the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) from an April 2016 rating decision of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office. The Veteran attended a Board video hearing in October 2021. The Board notes that while the Veteran's attorney submitted a request in October 2021 to postpone the hearing because the attorney was unable to attend, the Veteran submitted a statement on the day of the hearing that he wished to proceed with the hearing without his attorney. The Board therefore finds that it was appropriate to proceed with the October 2021 hearing without the attorney present. The Veteran testified in October 2021 that he has difficulty with basic household tasks, including preparing breakfast, due to problems with his hands and legs from peripheral neuropathy. He said that he previously had someone who cared for him, but is now in need of a new caretaker. While the Veteran has not been awarded service connection for peripheral neuropathy, he is service connected for PTSD, which is rated as 100 percent disabling. This indicates that the Veteran's PTSD has been found to cause total occupational and social impairment, which is the highest level of impairment, and this severity indicates that it should be discussed by a VA examiner whether the Veteran's PTSD symptoms alone could require him to need the aid and attendance of another person. The Veteran's VA examination for aid and attendance was held in November 2015, which is now over 6 years old, and he has not attended a VA psychiatric examination since April 2011, more than 10 years ago. These examinations are too old for the Board to be able to determine the current severity of the Veteran's psychiatric symptoms, so this issue is remanded in order to afford the Veteran with a new examination to evaluate his PTSD symptoms and their impact on his ability to care for himself. The matters are REMANDED for the following action: 1. Obtain all VA treatment records since June 2018. 2. Arrange for the Veteran to undergo a VA examination with a psychologist or psychiatrist to determine whether his service-connected PTSD renders him in need of aid and attendance or cause him to be housebound. The examiner must be provided access to the Veteran's entire claims file. The examiner must specify in the report that these records have been reviewed. a) The examiner must discuss whether the Veteran, as a result of his PTSD symptoms alone, is permanently bedridden or so helpless as to be in need of regular aid and attendance of another person on a regular basis. In making this determination, the examiner is to discuss the Veteran's ability for self-care. The Board notes that it has been found that the Veteran requires assistance due to physical limitations caused by peripheral neuropathy and nerve damage. The examiner should consider whether the Veteran would require aid and attendance due to his PTSD symptoms alone, even in the absence of any peripheral neuropathy/nerve symptoms. b) The examiner should indicate whether, as a result of his PTSD symptoms alone, the Veteran is substantially confined to his dwelling and immediate premises. A complete and fully explanatory rationale must be provided for any opinion offered. If any opinion cannot be rendered without resorting to speculation, the examiner must explain why. DELYVONNE M. WHITEHEAD Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans' Appeals Attorney for the Board Mary E. Rude, 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.