BVA9501417 
DOCKET NO.  93-11 297     )       DATE
          )
          )

On appeal from the decision of the
Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in Columbia, South
Carolina

THE ISSUE

Entitlement to service connection for essential hypertension.

REPRESENTATION

Appellant represented by: Disabled American Veterans

WITNESS AT HEARING ON APPEAL

Appellant

ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD

Robert P. Regan, Counsel

REMAND

The appellant served on active duty from March 1966 to February
1968.

This matter came before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on
appeal of a March 1992 rating determination by the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO) located in Columbia,
South Carolina.

The appellant, during his hearing at the RO in October 1992,
testified that he was hospitalized while on active duty for
malaria in the latter part of 1967 for approximately 2 to
3 weeks.  The appellant and his representative maintain that
these hospital records are not on file and may contain pertinent
medical evidence.  Also during his hearing, the appellant stated
that, when he was employed by a state corrections department
during the 1970's he was informed that he had high blood
pressure.  He testified that the corrections department would not
release to him copies of these medical records.  The appellant
further testified that he believed that high blood pressure
readings were recorded during dental treatment apparently while
on active duty.

The service medical records contain documents which support the
veteran allegation that the was hospitalized for malaria in the
latter part of 1967.  These documents consists of a hematology
referral for blood morphology dated October 24, 1967, and
Standard Form 502 which indicates that the veteran was admitted
on October 28th.

In accordance with the statutory duty to assist the appellant in
the development of evidence pertinent to his claim, the case is
REMANDED for the following actions:

1.  The RO should request the National
Personnel Records Center in St. Louis,
Missouri, to conduct a search for any
additional service medical and dental
records, to include medical records
regarding the appellant's hospitalization
in the latter part of 1967, probably
October 1967, for malaria at Cam Ranh Bay,
Vietnam.  If the additional service medical
records are furnished by the National
Personnel Records Center, copies should be
forwarded to the appellant and his
representative.

2.  The RO should furnish the appellant the
appropriate release of information forms in
order to obtain copies of any medical
records associated with his employment at
the South Carolina Department of
Corrections.

Thereafter, the case should be reviewed by the RO.  If the
benefit sought is not granted, the appellant and his
representative should be furnished a supplemental statement of
the case, if appropriate, and an opportunity to respond.  The
case should then be returned to the Board for further appellate
consideration.

          GARY L. GICK
          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 action has been taken in
accordance with the Veterans' Benefits Improvements Act of 1994,
Pub. L. No. 103-446, § 303, 108 Stat. 4645, ___ (1994), and 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).