of Foreign Wars of the United States


ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD

G. E. Wilkerson, Counsel


INTRODUCTION

The Veteran served on active duty from August 2001 to July 2008.

These matters initially came before the Board of Veterans Appeals (Board) on appeal from a November 2008 rating decision issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO) in Chicago, Illinois.

In her Substantive Appeal (VA Form 9), the Veteran requested a hearing before a
Veterans Law Judge at the RO. In January 2010, she clarified that she wanted a videoconference hearing with a Veterans Law Judge, or in the alternative, a Travel Board hearing. She was scheduled for a Travel Board hearing in March 2013. She failed to report for the scheduled hearing and has not requested rescheduling of the hearing. As such, herthe evidence VA would assist in obtaining and the evidence it was expected that she would provide. Quartuccio v. Principi, 16 Vet. App. 183, 186-87 (2002); Charles v. Principi, 16 Vet. App. 370 (2002).

The Veteran has substantiated her status as a veteran. The Veteran was notified of all other elements of the Dingess notice, including the disability rating and effective date elements of her claims, in the September 2008 letter.

The Board further finds that VA has complied with the duty to assist by aiding the appellant in obtaining evidence.  In this case, VA obtained the Veteran's service treatment records and VA treatment records, and in particular treatment records VA outpatient treatment records dated from January 2009, as requested in the Board's 2014 remand.

While the Veteran also was