A medical opinion is a statement from a qualified healthcare provider about the relationship between your current condition and your military service. VA must obtain a medical opinion when the evidence indicates your condition may be related to service but the relationship is not obvious from the evidence alone. Medical opinions are especially important for conditions that did not appear until years after service, for secondary service connection claims, and for conditions where the cause is not immediately apparent. An adequate medical opinion must include a clear conclusion, a review of the relevant evidence, and a reasoned explanation connecting the conclusion to the evidence. Opinions that simply say a condition is or is not related to service without explaining why are considered inadequate and should be returned for clarification. The examiner should address your specific medical history, not just apply general medical principles. If you have a private medical opinion supporting your claim, VA cannot simply ignore it and rely on a contrary VA opinion. VA must weigh both opinions and explain why it found one more persuasive than the other. If the opinions are roughly equal in persuasive value, the benefit of the doubt rule should apply in your favor. You have the right to submit private medical opinions at any time during the claims process.
Note: This article references sections of the VA's M21-1 Adjudication Procedures Manual. The VA periodically reorganizes the M21-1 and section numbers may have changed since this article was written. For the most current section references, visit the VA's public M21-1 Web Automated Reference Material System (WARMS).