The case is being remanded to obtain a medical opinion regarding the Veteran's claimed additional disabilities resulting from his tapering of opioid medications, specifically whether they were caused by carelessness or negligence on the part of the Detroit VAMC.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that an additional medical opinion should have been obtained addressing whether the initial medication management plan itself constituted a fault on the part of the Department.
- Claimed conditions
- opioid withdrawal symptoms
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20069965
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,077 · Granted: 25% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 20069965.
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 matter to obtain an adequate independent medical opinion regarding the Veteran's 38 U.S.C. § 1151 claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for an independent medical opinion to determine if additional disability, claimed as opioid withdrawal symptoms, opioid dependence, and opioid addiction, was proximately caused by VA treatment.
- Denied
The Veteran's opioid withdrawal symptoms, dependence, and addiction are not considered to be caused by VA medical care or negligence.
- Denied
The Veteran's compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for hyperalgesia and opioid withdrawal symptoms related to VA medication management decisions is denied because the additional disability was not proximately caused by carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment or similar instance of fault on the part of VA.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.