BVA9501150 
DOCKET NO.  93-03 922     )       DATE
          )
          )

On appeal from the decision of the
Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in St. Louis,
Missouri

THE ISSUES

1.  Entitlement to service connection for disability of the right
hip and right leg.

2.  Entitlement to service connection for left shoulder
disability.

3.  Entitlement to an increased (compensable) evaluation for
malaria.

4.  Entitlement to an increased rating for sacroiliac sprain,
right, currently evaluated as 10 percent disabling.

REPRESENTATION

Appellant represented by: Disabled American Veterans

WITNESS AT HEARING ON APPEAL

Appellant

ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD

K. Ehrman, Associate Counsel

REMAND

The veteran had active duty from January 1943 to November 1945.

Although the veteran was afforded a Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) orthopedic examination in August 1992, a
determination has not been made as to whether the veteran has
separate and distinct disabilities of the right leg and the right
hip, or whether the veteran's complaints of right leg and right
hip pain are symptoms related to his service-connected right
sacroiliac sprain.

The July 1992 statement of the veteran indicates that he has
received physical therapy from the Freeman Hospital since April
1992, and correspondence from that facility indicates that
additional physical therapy records may be available from the
hospital's physical therapy department.  The Board is of the
opinion that the RO should attempt to obtain any such available
physical therapy records for use in the evaluation of the
veteran's claims.

To ensure that the VA has met its duty to assist the claimant in
developing the facts pertinent to the claim and to ensure full
compliance with due process requirements, the case is REMANDED to
the regional office (RO) for the following development:

1.  The RO should contact the veteran and
obtain the names and addresses of all
medical care providers
who have treated the veteran for disability
of the left shoulder, right leg, and right
hip, since the veteran's discharge from
service.  The names and addresses of
all medical care providers who have
recently treated the veteran with regard to
service-connected sacroiliac sprain should
also be obtained.  After securing the
necessary release(s), the RO should obtain
these records, along with any and all
physical therapy records from the Freeman
Hospital, Physical Therapy Department.

2.  Upon the completion of the above
requested development, the veteran should
be afforded a VA examination to determine
the etiology of any right leg, and/or right
hip disability, and a determination should
be made about the severity of any
associated disability in those areas, with
a more recent evaluation of the veteran's
service-connected right sacroiliac sprain
disability.  The claims folder should be
made available to the examiner for review
before the examination.  The examiner is to
specifically determine the relationship, if
any, between service-connected right
sacroiliac sprain, and any right leg, and
right hip disability, if found to exist.
Specifically, the Board is attempting to
determine if the veteran's complaints in
the right leg and hip area are simply a
manifestation of his service-connected
sacroiliac sprain or a separate and
distinct disability.

3.  Thereafter, the RO should readjudicate
the issues of entitlement to an increased
(compensable) evaluation for malaria, and
entitlement to an increased rating for
sacroiliac sprain, right, as well as the
issues of entitlement to service connection
for disability of the right hip, disability
of the right leg, and disability of the
left shoulder, with consideration of 38
C.F.R. 3.310 (1993) with regard to
secondary service-connection.

Thereafter, if the decision remains adverse to the veteran, he
and his representative should be provided a supplemental
statement of the case, with an opportunity to respond thereto.
Evidence recently submitted and not previously considered should
be reviewed.  Thereafter,  the case should be returned to the
Board, if in order.  The Board intimates no opinion as to the
ultimate outcome of this case.  The appellant need take no action
unless otherwise notified.

          LAWRENCE M. SULLIVAN
          Member, Board of Veterans' Appeals

The Board of Veterans' Appeals Administrative Procedures
Improvement Act, Pub. L. No. 103-271, § 6, 108 Stat. 740, ___
(1994), permits a proceeding instituted before the Board to be
assigned to an individual member of the Board for a
determination.  This proceeding has been assigned to an
individual member of the Board.

Under 38 U.S.C.A. § 7252 (West 1991), only a decision of the
Board of Veterans' Appeals is appealable to the United States
Court of Veterans Appeals.  This remand is in the nature of a
preliminary order and does not constitute a decision of the Board
on the merits of your appeal.  38 C.F.R. § 20.1100(b) (1993).