Disagree With a VA Decision? Your 3 Ways to Fight It

What it is

VA gets things wrong. Maybe it denied your claim, gave you a lower rating than you expected, or picked the wrong start date. You don't have to accept it. VA gives you three paths, called decision reviews. You choose the one that fits your problem.

Option 1: Supplemental Claim

Use it when you have new evidence. That could be a doctor's letter, new medical records, a buddy statement, or a change in the law (like the PACT Act). The evidence must be new (VA didn't have it before) and relevant (it relates to the issue).

• Form: VA Form 20-0995, or file online.
• No deadline, but file within one year of the decision to keep your original effective date.
• VA must help you get records you tell it about.
• Average goal: about 125 days.

Option 2: Higher-Level Review

Use it when VA made a mistake with the evidence it already had. A more senior reviewer takes a fresh look. You can't add new evidence. You can ask for a one-time phone call, called an informal conference, to point out the error.

• Form: VA Form 20-0996, or file online.
• Deadline: one year from the date on your decision letter.
• Average goal: about 125 days.
• If the reviewer finds VA failed to help you get evidence, the claim can be sent back to fix that.

Option 3: Board Appeal

Use it when you want a Veterans Law Judge to decide. You file a Notice of Disagreement (VA Form 10182) and pick one of three lanes, called dockets:

• Direct Review: The judge looks only at the evidence VA already had. Fastest, about one year on average.
• Evidence Submission: You can add new evidence within 90 days. About a year and a half.
• Hearing: You talk with a judge by video, in person or virtually, and can add evidence. About two years.

Deadline: one year from your decision letter. If you lose at the Board, you can go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

How to choose

• Missing a key piece of proof? Supplemental Claim.
• Clear error, like VA ignoring a record or misreading a rating rule? Higher-Level Review.
• Complicated case, or you've already tried the others? Board Appeal. A hearing lets a judge hear you directly.

You can pick a different path for each issue in the same decision.

How to apply, step by step

1. Read your decision letter. It explains why VA decided what it did. Note the date at the top.
2. Request your claim file if you want to see exactly what VA had.
3. Decide what went wrong: missing evidence, or a mistake?
4. Pick the review and file it on VA.gov or by mail. A free VSO can help.
5. Track it on VA.gov or the VA: Health and Benefits app.
6. Keep moving if you lose. Filing the next review within a year keeps your effective date alive. VA calls this "continuous pursuit."

Mistakes to avoid

• Missing the one-year window. Missing it can cost you months or years of back pay.
• Sending new evidence with a Higher-Level Review. The reviewer can't use it.
• Picking a Board hearing when a Supplemental Claim would do. You'll wait much longer.
• Filing a brand-new claim instead of a review. That can reset your effective date.

Related benefits

See our guides on filing your claim, the C&P exam, disability compensation, and secondary service connection.