BVA9507273 
DOCKET NO.  93-12 151     )       DATE
          )
          )

On appeal from the decision of the
Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in Seattle,
Washington

THE ISSUE

Entitlement to service connection for vertigo.

REPRESENTATION

Appellant represented by: Veterans of Foreign Wars of the
United States

WITNESS AT HEARING ON APPEAL

The veteran

ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD

John D. Nachmann, Associate Counsel

INTRODUCTION

The veteran had active naval service from August 1975 to August
1979 and from October 1980 to September 1989.

This matter comes before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board)
on appeal from a rating decision of February 1991 by the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Seattle, Washington, Regional
Office (RO).  The veteran's records were subsequently transferred
to the Denver, Colorado, and then to the Portland, Oregon, RO.

REMAND

The service medical records reveal that the veteran was diagnosed
with vertigo in August 1982.  During her May 1992 personal
hearing, the veteran testified that she was treated for vertigo
on a number of occasions, both during service as well as
following her separation from service.  Although the veteran has
provided the names of most of the facilities at which she has
sought treatment for vertigo, the RO has only attempted to obtain
her records from the U.S. Naval Hospital in Bremerton,
Washington.  Although no records pertaining to the veteran were
found at that facility, the veteran indicated that her records
had been filed under her husband's name and Social Security
number.  During her personal hearing, the veteran also noted that
she had received treatment for vertigo from a physician in
Rochester, New York.  At that time, however, the veteran was
unable to provide the doctor's name or address.

Lastly, the report of an August 1992 VA examination suggests that
the veteran's claims file had not been made available to the
examining physician prior to or during the examination.  The
Board notes that the duty to assist requires the conduction of a
thorough and contemporaneous medical examination that takes into
account prior medical treatment records so that the evaluation of
the claimed disability will be a fully informed one.  See Green
v. Derwinski, 1 Vet.App. 121, 124 (1991).

Therefore, in order to give the veteran every consideration with
respect to the present appeal, it is the Board's opinion that
further development of the case is warranted.  Accordingly, this
case is REMANDED for the following actions:

1.  The RO should contact the veteran,
through her representative, and ask her to
provide additional information regarding
the treatment that she received for vertigo
in Rochester, New York.  This information
should include treatment dates, the name of
the treating professional, and the address
of the place of treatment.  Once this
information and the necessary authorization
have been obtained, the RO should obtain
and associate with the claims file all
medical records pertaining to the veteran.

2.  The RO should contact the U.S. Naval
Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, as well as
the Patuxent River Naval Air Test Center in
Maryland in order to obtain copies of all
medical records pertaining to the veteran.
All records obtained should be associated
with the veteran's claims file.

3.  The RO should contact the U.S. Naval
Hospital in Bremerton, Washington, in order
to obtain copies of all medical records
pertaining to the veteran.  The RO should
provide the hospital with the veteran's
husband's name ([redacted]) and
Social Security number ([redacted]) in
order to aid in the search for the
veteran's records.  All records obtained
should be associated with the veteran's
claims file.

4.  The RO should contact the Pacific
Medical Center in order to obtain copies of
all of the veteran's medical records.  If
the RO is unfamiliar with the address of
the Pacific Medical Center, the veteran
should be contacted, through her
representative, and asked to provide any
pertinent information that is required.
All records obtained should be associated
with the veteran's claims file.

5.  After the above development has been
completed to the extent possible, the
veteran should be afforded a special ears,
nose, and throat examination in order to
ascertain the nature and severity of her
vertigo or related disorder, if present.
All tests deemed necessary by the examiner
should be conducted.  If vertigo or a
related disorder is found, the examiner
should render an opinion as to the etiology
of the disorder.  The claims file or copies
of all relevant records contained therein
must be made available to the examiner
prior to and during the examination for a
complete study of the case.

After completion of the requested development, the case should be
reviewed by the RO.  If the determination remains adverse to the
veteran, the case should be returned to the Board after
compliance with the provisions for processing appeals, including
the issuance of a supplemental statement of the case and
provision of the applicable time period for response thereto.

The purpose of this REMAND is to obtain additional development,
and the Board does not intimate any opinion as to the merits of
the case, either favorable or unfavorable, at this time.  No
action is required of the veteran until she is notified.

          WARREN W. RICE, JR.
          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).