Hi there,
I can confirm I see similar behavior in the simulator - /etc/issue would show in 8.2.3, but when upgraded to 8.2.5P1 it would not.. but in the case of the simulator, the /etc/issue and /etc/motd files are still there, but only displayed on the console, not via ssh.
Best course of action is to open a support case, and it will probably end up a BURT. If the BURT produces major compliance issues, you may be able to escalate a patch on that basis, but you will need to be very clear on why it is a compliance issue, as this is a mostly cosmetic defect.