BVA9505622 DOCKET NO. 93-11 571 ) DATE ) ) On appeal from the decision of the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in St. Petersburg, Florida THE ISSUE Entitlement to service connection for psychiatric disability, to include alcoholism. REPRESENTATION Appellant represented by: The American Legion WITNESS AT HEARING ON APPEAL Appellant ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD Alberto H. Zapata, Associate Counsel INTRODUCTION The veteran served on active duty from September 1965 to April 1967. This matter comes to the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from a rating decision of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO) in St. Petersburg, Florida. REMAND A review of the record reveals that the veteran has raised the issues of entitlement to service connection for low back and left hip disabilities as well the issue of entitlement to a compensable rating for service-connected left leg disability. These issues have not been considered by the RO. The Board also notes that records pertinent to the veteran's claim for service connection for psychiatric disability, including records from the VA Outpatient Clinic in Riviera Beach, Florida have been identified by the veteran, but the RO has not attempted to obtain copies of these records. In light of these circumstances, the Board is of the opinion that further RO actions are warranted. Accordingly, the case is REMANDED to the RO for the following actions: 1. The RO should request the veteran to provide the names, addresses and approximate dates of treatment for all health care providers who have treated or evaluated him for alcohol problems, psychiatric impairment, low back disability, or left hip disability since his discharge from service or for residuals of a laceration of the left lower leg in recent years. When the requested information and any necessary authorization have been received, the RO should attempt to obtain copies of all treatment records identified by the veteran. The health care providers contacted should include Drs. Trivato and Christopher in Stuart, Florida, and New Horizons (see the May 1993 hearing transcript). In any event, copies of records pertaining to treatment of the veteran at the VA Outpatient Clinic in Riviera Beach Florida, should be obtained. 2. Then, the veteran should be provided an appropriate VA examination to determine the current extent of impairment from the residuals of a laceration of the left lower leg. All indicated studies should be performed. The claims folder should be made available to the examiner for review prior to the examination. 3. If the evidence obtained pursuant to the above development establishes that the veteran's claim for service connection for psychiatric disability is well grounded but the evidence is not found to be sufficient to support an allowance of the claim, the RO should arrange for a VA examination of the veteran by a board- certified psychiatrist, if available, to determine the nature and extent of all currently present psychiatric disorders. All indicated diagnostic studies should be performed. With respect to any acquired psychiatric disability(ies) found to be present, the examiner is specifically requested, after reviewing the record to include all service medical evidence, to offer an opinion as to whether it is at least as likely as not that such disability is etiologically related to the psychiatric symptoms noted during service. In addition, the examiner should comment on whether alcoholism, if found, is a manifestation of any present acquired psychiatric disability. The rationale for all opinions expressed should be explained. The claims folder must be made available to the examiner for review prior to the examination. 4. Thereafter, the RO should undertake any other indicated development, readjudicate the issue on appeal, and adjudicate the issues of service connection for low back and left hip disabilities and of an increased rating for the service connected left leg disability. 5. If the benefit sought on appeal is not granted to the veteran's satisfaction or if a timely notice of disagreement is received with respect to any other matter, the veteran and his representative should be provided a Supplemental Statement of the Case on all issues in appellate status and afforded a reasonable opportunity to respond. The veteran should also be advised of the requirements to perfect an appeal of any added issue(s). Thereafter, the case should be returned to the Board for further appellate action, if otherwise in order. No action is required of the veteran until he is otherwise notified by the RO. By this remand the Board intimates no opinion as to any final outcome warranted. 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).