BVA9503006 
DOCKET NO.  93-12 948     )       DATE
          )
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On appeal from the decision of the
Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in San Juan,
Puerto Rico

THE ISSUES

1. Whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen
a claim of entitlement to service connection for a psychiatric
disorder.

2.  Entitlement to an increased (compensable) rating for
bilateral inguinal herniae.

REPRESENTATION

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

WITNESSES AT HEARING ON APPEAL

Appellant and his sister

ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD

B. Anderson, Counsel

REMAND

The appellant had active service from April 1976 to April 1980.

This appeal arises from an April 1991 rating decision of the San
Juan, Puerto Rico, regional office (RO).  In that decision,
entitlement to a compensable evaluation for service-connected
bilateral inguinal herniae was denied and the appellant's request
to reopen his previously denied claim to establish service
connection for a neuropsychiatric condition was denied.

The record shows that the RO sent the appellant a 90-day letter
in June 1993.  In July 1993, the Board of Veterans Appeals
(Board) received various documents, including duplicate copies of
two documents already of record.  There is no obvious evidence of
any waiver of initial consideration by the RO, but one new
document is an untranslated handwritten statement signed by
someone other than the appellant.  Further, there are an undated
statement from a sibling of the appellant and an address change
notice which were received after the 90-day period elapsed.
Since the claims folder must be returned to the RO, the
originating agency will have the opportunity to consider all the
evidence associated with the claims folder.

Under the circumstances, we are of the opinion that additional
assistance is required.  Accordingly, the case is REMANDED to the
RO for the following:

1.  The RO should arrange for translation
of the undated handwritten statement
addressed to the Board, date-stamped as
having been received at the Board with some
duplicate documents in July 1993.  The
translation should be associated with the
claims file.

2.  Unless the psychiatric claim is
otherwise reopened, the RO should
correspond with the appellant and apprise
him of the need to submit new and material
evidence, specifically evidence linking an
acquired psychiatric disorder not a result
of misconduct to service, to reopen his
claim for service connection for a
psychiatric disorder.  Any such forthcoming
evidence should be associated with the
claims file.

After the development requested above has been completed, the RO
should again review the record including the evidence submitted
after the case was received at the Board.  The appellant and
representative should be furnished a supplemental statement of
the case and given the applicable opportunity to reply.
Thereafter, the case should be returned to the Board, if in
order.  The Board intimates no opinion as to the ultimate outcome
of this case.  The appellant need take no action until so
notified.

          CHARLES E. HOGEBOOM
          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).