When you choose this option, you’re appealing to a Veterans Law Judge at the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (also called the Board) in Washington, D.C. A judge who’s an expert in Veterans law will review your case.
A Board Appeal may be an option for you if you submit your request within 1 year of the decision on your initial claim, Supplemental Claim, or Higher-Level Review (the 1-year timeframe starts from the date on your decision letter).
You can request a Board Appeal only after these types of claims or decision reviews:
You can’t request 2 Board Appeals in a row for the same claim.
Exception: If you have a contested claim (this is when you and someone else are claiming a benefit that only one person can claim), you must request a Board Appeal within 60 days of the date on your decision letter.
Be sure you’re choosing the decision review option that’s right for you. You may be able to request a Higher-Level Review or a Supplemental Claim instead.
Yes. You can request 1 of the 3 types of Board Appeals listed here. When you fill out your form, you’ll need to select the type you want.
A Veterans Law Judge reviews all Board Appeals. But only some types of Board Appeals allow you to submit new evidence or have a hearing with a Veterans Law Judge.
If you choose Direct Review, a Veterans Law Judge will review your appeal based on the evidence that’s already part of your case. You can’t submit new evidence, and you can’t have a hearing.
The Board’s goal is to send you a decision within 365 days (1 year).
If you choose Evidence Submission, a Veterans Law Judge will consider new evidence together with evidence that was already part of your case when we made our most recent decision on your claim. You must submit new evidence with your Board Appeal or within 90 days of the date we receive your request for a Board Appeal.
The Board’s goal is to send you a decision within 550 days (1.5 years).
If you choose Hearing, you’ll meet with a Veterans Law Judge. You can choose to add new evidence, but you don’t have to. You can submit new evidence at the hearing or within 90 days after the hearing.
We’ll transcribe your hearing (write down the conversation you have with the Veterans Law Judge) and add the transcript to your appeal file.
You can choose to speak with the Veterans Law Judge in 1 of these 3 different ways:
The Board’s goal is to send you a decision within 730 days (2 years).