Citation Nr: 23040892
Decision Date: 07/26/23	Archive Date: 07/26/23

DOCKET NO. 19-39 035
DATE: July 26, 2023

REMANDED

Entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is remanded.

REASONS FOR REMAND

The Veteran served on active duty from November 1971 to November 1974. 

This matter is before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from a March 2017 rating decision issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO). 

Entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD is remanded.

A March 2017 rating decision granted the Veteran service connection for PTSD and assigned a 50 percent rating effective October 4, 2016.  The Veteran appealed the initial rating assigned indicating that he believes his disability to be more severe than contemplated by the 50 percent rating.  The Veteran last underwent a VA examination to assess his PTSD in March 2017, which was over six years ago.  Given the assertion of increased symptomatology and the length of time since the Veteran's last VA examination, remand is required to afford the Veteran a contemporaneous examination to assess the current severity of his PTSD.  See Snuffer v. Gober, 10 Vet. App. 400, 403 (1997); Green v. Derwinski, 1 Vet. App. 121, 124 (1991).  

Accordingly, the matter is REMANDED for the following action:

Schedule the Veteran for a VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected PTSD.  The examiner must review the Veteran's claims file, to include a copy of this REMAND, and that review must be noted in the examination report.  A complete history of symptoms should be elicited from the Veteran.

After evaluating the Veteran, the examiner should fully describe all symptomatology and functional impairments associated with the Veteran's PTSD and should opine as to their severity.  The Veteran's lay statements regarding his symptomology must be recorded and taken into consideration.  The examiner should also comment on the Veteran's current level of social and occupational impairment due to his disability.

 

 

S. Sorathia 

Veterans Law Judge

Board of Veterans' Appeals

Attorney for the Board	Melissa Barbee, 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 This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.