The Board remands the matter to obtain an adequate independent medical opinion regarding the Veteran's 38 U.S.C. § 1151 claim.
The deciding factor: The February 2025 medical opinion was found inadequate and incomplete due to conflicting findings and failure to address certain aspects of the Veteran's history.
- Claimed conditions
- opioid withdrawal symptoms, opioid dependence, opioid addiction
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 8, 2025
- Citation
- 25008884
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,677 · Granted: 26% (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 25008884.
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.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeal for service connection for schizoaffective disorder with opioid dependence due to a withdrawal by the appellant and his representative.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for a back condition, opioid addiction, special monthly compensation at the housebound rate, and special monthly compensation based on need for aid and attendance was withdrawn by the appellant.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the etiology and aggravation of the Veteran's psychiatric disabilities, including bipolar disorder with opioid dependence. The VA must provide an addendum opinion addressing these issues.
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