BVA9500942 
DOCKET NO.  93-07 852     )       DATE
          )
          )

On appeal from the decision of the
Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in Montgomery,
Alabama

THE ISSUE

Entitlement to service connection for a psychiatric disorder.

REPRESENTATION

Appellant represented by: Disabled American Veterans

ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD

Milo H. Hawley, Counsel

REMAND

The veteran had active service from January 1965 to December
1967, from November 1971 to November 1974, and from October 1986
to September 1988.

This matter comes before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board)
on appeal from a June 1992 rating decision by the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office in Montgomery, Alabama
(RO).

It is contended that the veteran has a psychiatric disability
which is the result of and was first manifested during his active
service.  In the veteran's substantive appeal, he states that he
began to receive mental health care from the VA in September
1991, but that the decision by the RO indicated that it only
considered evidence through September 1991.  The veteran stated
that he continued to receive treatment after that, in 1992, and
upon informing the individual at the VA who was providing him
mental health care that service connection for his depression had
been denied, the individual immediately made inclusions in his
record which the veteran assumes dispute those findings.  The
veteran has stated that the VA individual treating him has told
him that he is manic-depressive.  The veteran has requested that
VA records relating to his treatment during 1992 be considered in
this determination.  Those records have not been associated with
the claims folder.

Service medical records reflect that in June 1988 the veteran was
seen with complaints of having speech difficulties over the prior
week.  The impression included episodes of speech decrease,
mostly secondary to functional disorder and anxiety nervousness
and long-term anxiety, nervousness, sleep disorder, and probably
mixed depression.  September 1988 service medical records include
assessments of situational anxiety and high anxiety.

On the basis of the above, the case is REMANDED to the RO for the
following:

1.  The RO should contact the veteran and
inquire as to the providers of his mental
health care from September 1991 until the
present.  The RO should contact the health
care provider(s) identified and request
copies of all medical records relating to
the veteran's mental health care from
September 1991 until the present. Copies of
all VA mental health treatment records
dated since September 1991 should also be
obtained.

2.  Thereafter, the veteran should be
scheduled for a VA psychiatric examination
to determine the nature and extent of any
psychiatric disability.  All necessary
tests and studies should be accomplished,
and all clinical manifestations should be
reported in detail.  The examiner should
offer an opinions as to the likelihood that
any current psuchiatric pathology is
related to the condition noted in service.
The claims file must be made available to
the examiner prior to the examination for
their review.

Following completion of the above, the RO should review the
evidence and readjudicate the veteran's claim.  Thereafter, if
appropriate, the veteran and his representative should be
furnished with a supplemental statement of the case and be given
the appropriate opportunity to respond thereto.  Thereafter, the
claims file, including any evidence obtained, should be returned
to this Board for further appellate review, if in order.  No
action is required by the veteran until he receives further
notice.

The purpose of this REMAND is to procure clarifying data.  The
Board intimates no opinion, either legal or factual, as to the
ultimate disposition of this appeal.

          WAYNE M. BRAEUER
          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) (1993).