BVA9505605 
DOCKET NO.  93-14 828     )       DATE
          )
          )

On appeal from the decision of the
Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in San Juan,
Puerto Rico

THE ISSUES

1.  Entitlement to an increased rating for a brief reactive
psychosis, currently evaluated as 10 percent disabling.

2.  Entitlement to an increased (compensable) rating for
rheumatoid arthritis.

REPRESENTATION

Appellant represented by: Puerto Rico Public Advocate for
Veterans Affairs

WITNESSES AT HEARING ON APPEAL

Appellant and Spous

ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD

Brian J. Milmoe, Counsel

REMAND

The veteran served on active duty from February 1952 to February
1954.

Preliminary review of the record reveals that the veteran has not
been afforded a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) psychiatric
examination in connection with the claim for increase herein at
issue.  In fact, no such evaluation has been attempted since
1984.  It is evident that a VA orthopedic examination was
scheduled to occur during 1991, to which the veteran failed to
report.  Also noted are many untranslated documents which have
been submitted to the VA Regional Office (RO) in San Juan, Puerto
Rico, and additional action relating thereto is needed prior to
appellate consideration of the merits of the issues presented.

Accordingly, the instant case is hereby REMANDED to the RO for
the completion of the following actions:

1.  All documents submitted to the RO by or
on behalf of the veteran since 1987 which
have not to date been translated into
English should be appropriately translated.

2.  All VA inpatient and outpatient
treatment records involving the veteran's
service-connected psychiatric disability
and rheumatoid arthritis, which have been
compiled since February 1992 at the VA
Medial Center in San Juan or other
applicable facility, should be obtained and
added to the claims folder.

3.  The RO should contact the veteran in
writing for the purpose of advising him of
his right to submit additional evidence in
support of his claim for increase for
disabilities involving a brief reactive
psychosis and rheumatoid arthritis.  If
needed, any untranslated response from the
veteran should be appropriately translated
and in the event that the veteran specifies
that he has received treatment from non-VA
providers, records of treatment from those
physicians or institutions should be
secured for inclusion in the claims folder.

4.  The veteran should be afforded medical
examinations by VA specialists in
psychiatry and orthopedics for the purpose
of determining the nature and severity of
his service-connected brief reactive
psychosis and rheumatoid arthritis,
respectively.  Such evaluations should be
conducted in accordance with the applicable
provisions, specifically, Chapters 2 and
14, respectively, of the VA's Physician's
Guide for Disability Evaluation
Examinations.  Any and all indicated tests
should be performed.  It is imperative that
the psychiatric examiner, following a
review of the claims folder in its entirety
and the completion of a detailed mental
status examination of the veteran,
specifically assess the severity of the
service-connected psychiatric disorder in
terms of the resulting impairment of social
and industrial adaptability.  As well, the
psychiatrist should assess the psychiatric
disability in terms of the Global
Assessment of Functioning Scale and provide
detailed reasons for the score assigned.
The orthopedic examiner should be asked to
specify, to the extent possible, what
joints, if any, are specifically affected
by rheumatoid arthritis and to what degree.
The manifestations of the affected joints
should be specifically outlined.  The
claims folder should be provided in its
entirety to each examiner for use in the
study of this case.

Thereafter, the record should be reviewed in its entirety by the
RO and the claims for increase readjudicated.  If the action
taken remains adverse to the veteran in any way, he and his
representative should be provided with a supplemental statement
of the case.  They should then be afforded a reasonable period of
time in which to respond.  The case should then be returned to
the Board for further appellate consideration.

          ALBERT D. TUTERA
          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).