BVA9504732 
DOCKET NO.  92-56 069     )       DATE
          )
          )

On appeal from the decision of the
Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in Boston,
Massachusetts

THE ISSUE

Entitlement to restoration of special monthly pension based on
the need for the regular aid and attendance of another person or
housebound status.

REPRESENTATION

Appellant represented by: Disabled American Veterans

WITNESSES AT HEARINGS ON APPEAL

Appellant, his mother and his niece

ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD

James L. March, Associate Counsel

INTRODUCTION

The veteran had active service from February 1967 to February
1970.  There is evidence of additional service.  This appeal
comes to the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) from a rating
decision of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional
Office in Boston, Massachusetts.  In November 1992, the Board
remanded the case for further action, to include the adjudication
of the issues of entitlement to service connection for back
disability, arthritis, kidney disabilities, post-traumatic stress
disorder, and residuals of a head injury.  These issues were
denied by the RO in an April 1993 rating decision.  The RO
received a Notice of Disagreement and issued a Statement of the
Case concerning these issues; however, the veteran has not
submitted a substantive appeal on these issues.  Thus, these
issues are not before the Board.

REMAND

In the Board's November 1992 Remand, the RO was directed to
afford the veteran a general medical examination together with an
evaluation by a specialist in rheumatoid arthritis.  In addition,
the examiners were to complete a VA Form 21-2680 (Examination for
Housebound Status or Need for Regular Aid and Attendance).
Although examinations of the veteran's joints and peripheral
circulatory system were conducted, the Medical Administrative
Service canceled the general medical and special monthly
compensation examinations.  It appears that the examinations were
canceled because the veteran was not notified of the
appointments.  The canceled examinations are vital to the issue
on appeal.  As such, the case must be remanded for new
examinations in order for VA to fulfill its statutory duty to
assist the veteran.

In addition, a review of the record reveals that the veteran has
been awarded disability benefits from the Social Security
Administration (SSA).  However, the medical evidence upon which
SSA based its decision to grant disability benefits is not of
record.  As these records may be relevant to the issue on appeal,
an attempt should be made to obtain them from SSA.

In light of the foregoing circumstances, the Board concludes that
a remand is warranted.  Accordingly, the case is REMANDED to the
RO for the following actions:

1.  The RO should contact the SSA and
request copies of the records upon which the
veteran's award of disability benefits was
based.

2.  The RO should contact the veteran and
request that he identify the names,
addresses, and approximate dates of
treatment for all VA and non-VA health care
providers who have treated him for his
various disabilities, particularly his
rheumatoid arthritis, during the past
several years.  With any necessary
authorization from the veteran, the RO
should attempt to obtain copies of pertinent
treatment records identified by the veteran
which have not been previously secured.  The
health care providers contacted should
include Paul H. Martin, M.D.  In any event,
the RO should obtain copies of any treatment
records of the veteran from the VA Medical
Centers in West Roxbury and Worcester,
Massachusetts, since November 1992, and
associate them with the claims folder.

3.  Thereafter, the RO should arrange for a
VA general medical examination of the
veteran, together with an evaluation by a
specialist in rheumatoid arthritis, if
available, to determine the current nature
and severity of his disabilities and their
effect on his ability to leave his home, and
to care for his basic needs without the aid
of others.  All indicated studies should be
performed.  A VA Form 21-2680 (Examination
for Housebound Status or Need for Regular
Aid and Attendance) should be completed, as
well.  It is imperative that the claims
folder and a copy of this Remand be provided
to the examining physicians for review prior
to the examinations.

4.  The RO should then readjudicate the
issue on appeal.

If the claim is not granted to the veteran's satisfaction, the
veteran and his representative should be issued a supplemental
statement of the case and be afforded a reasonable opportunity to
reply.  Thereafter, the case should be returned to the Board for
further appellate consideration, if otherwise in order.

In taking this action, the Board implies no conclusion as to any
ultimate outcome warranted.  No action is required of the veteran
until he is otherwise notified by the RO.

          SHANE A. DURKIN
          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) (1994).