The Board has decided to remand the DIC benefits claim due to incomplete records and need for additional medical opinions. The opioid use condition of the decedent is also under review.
The deciding factor: Further development is required as there are missing service treatment records and a new opinion on the cause of the opioid use disorder is needed.
- Claimed conditions
- Opioid use disorder, Post-deployment syndrome
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 25, 2018
- Citation
- 18144618
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 18144618.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD and various other psychiatric disorders, as it finds that there was a pre-decisional duty to assist error in not obtaining medical opinions addressing all of the Veteran's diagnosed psychiatric disorders.
- Denied
The Veteran's SMC based on the need for regular aid and attendance was denied because he did not meet the criteria of needing regular aid and assistance due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's PTSD with residual of TBI and opioid and stimulant use disorders was granted a rating of 70 percent from March 24, 2021 onward. However, the Veteran's PTSD prior to this date did not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The lumbosacral strain issue remains denied.
- Granted
The Board has granted an earlier effective date of May 18, 2019 for the award of a 100 percent disability rating for the Veteran's service-connected other specified trauma and stressor related disorder with opioid use disorder.,Additionally, the Board has also granted an earlier effective date of May 18, 2019 for the Veteran's basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits pursuant to 38 U.S.C. Chapter 35.
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