Board of veterans’ appeals

The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) is a division within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). If a veteran feels that a VA decision unfairly denied or rated their claim for disability compensation, pension, or other benefits, they can appeal the decision to the BVA, where a Veterans Law Judge (VLJ) will review the case and issue a decision that grants the claim, denies the claim, or remands the claim (sends it back to the Regional Office).

How do I appeal my claim to the Board?

Since February 19, 2019, VA has operated under the modernized, Appeals Modernization Act (or “AMA”) system. In this system, a veteran can appeal a VA rating decision by submitting a VA Form 10182, Decision Review Request: Board Appeal. This sends your appeal straight to the Board. When you choose a Board Appeal, you also choose one of three Board dockets, which controls whether you can submit evidence and whether you get a hearing:

Direct Review Docket

  • No hearing

  • No new evidence

  • Judge reviews only what was in the record at the time of the VA decision.

Appropriate when: The evidence in the file is strong, and VA simply got it wrong.

Evidence Submission Docket

  • No hearing

  • You can submit new evidence within a set window (generally after filing the Board appeal).

Appropriate when: You want to add evidence, but don’t need to testify.

Hearing Docket

  • You have a hearing with a Veterans Law Judge

  • You can submit evidence within a set window after the hearing.

Appropriate when: Your testimony matters (symptoms, onset, events, functional impact), or you want VA to better understand the context and specifics of your service.

Our legal team has nearly a decade’s worth of experience adjudicating claims at the BVA. Our familiarity with the BVA allows us to build the strongest case possible, by gathering the necessary medical and lay evidence and preparing clear, persuasive legal arguments to ensure that the VLJ reviewing your case has everything needed to make a fair and fully informed decision that acknowledges your service, your disabilities, and the impact they have on your daily life.

If your claim was denied or you were denied the rating that you deserve, contact us today.