Source: https://veteranclaims.net/2009/04/06/missing-medical-records-fedcir-moore-v-shinseki-no-2007-7306/
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 22:47:20+00:00

Document:
Kasold, J., in his dissent “noted that the VA was required, pursuant to 38 C.F.R. § 4.1, to evaluate a disability “in relation to its history” and that the VA could not have properly evaluated Moore’s claim for disability compensation because “a significant part of [his] medical history relevant to his psychiatric disability is simply missing.” 2007 Veterans Court Decision, 21 Vet. App. at 222 (Kasold, J., dissenting).
It is shameful that the VA yet again failed in its duty to assist the veteran and, at best, poor judgment by the Department of Justice in defending the VA’s actions.
We are mindful, however, that many veterans must navigate the “labyrinthine corridors of the veterans’ adjudicatory system” without the assistance of counsel. See Comer v. Peake, No. 2008-7013, 2009 U.S. App. LEXIS 668, at *16 (Fed. Cir. Jan. 16, 2009).
Because many veterans lack the knowledge and resources necessary to locate relevant records, Congress has appropriately placed the burden on the VA to ensure that all relevant service medical records are obtained and fully evaluated. See 38 U.S.C. § 5103A(c)(1); Hayre v. West, 188 F.3d 1327, 1331 (Fed. Cir. 1999), overruled on other grounds, Cook, 318 F.3d at 1338-40 (The VA must “make all possible efforts to obtain and assess records relevant to an evaluation of [a veteran’s] disability” (citation and internal quotation marks omitted) (emphasis in original)).
We fail to understand how the government, without examining the Tripler records, can have any idea as to whether they would, or would not, support Moore’s claim for an increased disability rating. See McGee v. Peake, 511 F.3d 1352, 1358 (Fed. Cir. 2008) (Section 5103A “simply does not excuse the VA’s obligation to fully develop the facts of [a] claim based on speculation as to the dispositive nature of relevant records.”).
Furthermore, as Judge Kasold correctly noted, the Tripler records are “relevant on their face” because Moore is seeking disability compensation for the same disability that led to his in-patient stay in the Tripler psychiatric ward. 2007 Veterans Court Decision, 21 Vet. App. at 221 (Kasold, J., dissenting).
Such records could potentially call into question the VA’s conclusion that Moore suffered from only “mild social and industrial impairment” and was therefore entitled to no more than a 10 percent disability rating in the period after September 1992. Thus, contrary to the government’s assertions, the Tripler records could well contain evidence sufficient to establish Moore’s entitlement to increased disability benefits.
Comer v. Peake, No. 2008-7013, 2009 U.S. App. LEXIS 668, at *16 (Fed. Cir. Jan. 16, 2009). Because many veterans lack the knowledge and resources necessary to locate relevant records, Congress has appropriately placed the burden on the VA to ensure that all relevant service medical records are obtained and fully evaluated. See 38 U.S.C. § 5103A(c)(1); Hayre v. West, 188 F.3d 1327, 1331 (Fed. Cir. 1999), overruled on other grounds, Cook, 318 F.3d at 1338-40 (The VA must “make all possible efforts to obtain and assess records relevant to an evaluation of [a veteran’s] disability” (citation and internal quotation marks omitted) (emphasis in original)).

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