If you disagree with a VA rating decision, you challenge it by filling out one of three decision review forms: VA Form 20-0995 for a Supplemental Claim, VA Form 20-0996 for a Higher-Level Review, or VA Form 10182 for a Board Appeal. Which form you use depends on whether you have new evidence, think the VA misapplied the law to the record it already has, or want a Veterans Law Judge to decide. All three are downloadable from VA.gov, and for disability compensation claims all three can be filed online. This guide walks through how to fill out a VA decision review appeal form and get it to the right place before the deadline.
Pick the Right Form First
The form you choose is the whole game. Each one routes your case through a different process, and you can pick a different form for each separate issue on your decision letter.
File VA Form 20-0995 (Supplemental Claim) when you have new and relevant evidence the VA has not reviewed before. “New” means it wasn’t in the file when the prior decision was made. “Relevant” means it could actually change the outcome — a fresh nexus letter, updated treatment records, service records that were missing. This is the only lane where the VA’s duty to assist applies, so the agency will help gather federal records or schedule a new exam if needed.
File VA Form 20-0996 (Higher-Level Review) when you believe the VA made a factual or legal error on the evidence already in your file. A senior adjudicator re-examines the existing record. You cannot submit new evidence in this lane.
File VA Form 10182 (Board Appeal) to send your case to a Veterans Law Judge at the Board of Veterans’ Appeals in Washington, D.C. Inside this form you pick one of three sub-options: Direct Review (no new evidence, no hearing), Evidence Submission (new evidence allowed, no hearing), or Hearing (live discussion with the judge, with the option to submit new evidence).
What to Gather Before You Start
Whichever form you file, pull these together first:
- Your VA decision letter. The date on the letter starts the clock.
- Your full legal name, Social Security number, and VA file number, matching VA records exactly.
- A current mailing address and phone number.
- A list of every specific rating or denial you want reviewed. Each issue has to be listed individually on the form.
- For a Supplemental Claim, your new evidence: medical records, private physician statements, nexus letters, or service records that weren’t part of the prior decision. A nexus letter from a private physician typically runs $600 to $1,500.
Filling Out VA Form 20-0995 (Supplemental Claim)
Download the form from VA.gov, or file online at va.gov/decision-reviews/supplemental-claim for disability compensation. Fill in your identifying information in Sections 1 through 3, checking that your name and file number match VA records exactly.
In the issues section, list each disability or rating you’re contesting on a separate line, and include the date of the decision you’re challenging for each one.
The form asks you to identify or describe the new and relevant evidence you’re submitting. Be specific. “Updated MRI results from Dr. Smith dated March 2026” is far more useful than “new medical records.” If the evidence is something the VA can obtain for you, like VA treatment records or records from another federal agency, note that on the form so the duty to assist kicks in.
Sign and date at the bottom. If you run out of room for issues or evidence descriptions, attach a separate sheet clearly labeled with your name, Social Security number, and VA file number.
Filling Out VA Form 20-0996 (Higher-Level Review)
Download the form, or file online at va.gov/decision-reviews/higher-level-review for disability compensation. Complete the identifying sections and list each issue you want reviewed. Remember that this lane is limited to what’s already in your file. If the reviewer spots a duty-to-assist error — the VA failed to obtain records it should have — the review closes and a new claim opens to gather the missing evidence.
Item 16A is where you decide whether to request an informal conference. This is a phone call with the higher-level reviewer where you or your representative can point out specific errors of fact or law. Check the box if you want one. The VA will try to reach you twice; if neither call connects, the reviewer moves on without it. If you’d rather skip the scheduling delay, attach a written statement that identifies where the VA misread the facts or misapplied the law.
If an accredited representative will handle the call, enter their contact information in Items 17A and 17B, and make sure your VA Form 21-22 or 21-22a appointing them is already on file. Sign and date the form.
Filling Out VA Form 10182 (Board Appeal)
Download the form from VA.gov or file online at va.gov/forms/10182. After the identification sections, you select one of the three Board options: Direct Review, Evidence Submission, or Hearing.
You can choose different options for different issues, but each option needs its own separate VA Form 10182 listing the relevant issues. So if two of your issues are ready for Direct Review and one calls for a Hearing, that’s two forms.
Direct Review moves fastest because the judge simply reviews your existing file. Evidence Submission gives you 90 days after the Board receives your appeal to add new evidence. The Hearing option adds the most time but lets you speak directly with a Veterans Law Judge and submit evidence during or after the hearing. If the Hearing option fits, you can request a virtual tele-hearing from home using a computer, tablet, or smartphone with a camera and microphone.
List each contested issue with the date of the decision being appealed. Sign and date. If the Board considers your form incomplete, they’ll contact you to request clarification and explain how to correct it.
How and Where to Submit Your Form
For disability compensation, filing online through VA.gov is the fastest route and gives you immediate confirmation of your filing date. For other benefit types — pension, education, insurance — you’ll need to file on paper.
Supplemental Claims and Higher-Level Reviews mail to the centralized intake center:
Department of Veterans Affairs
Claims Intake Center
PO Box 4444
Janesville, WI 53547-4444
Board Appeals go somewhere different:
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
PO Box 27063
Washington, DC 20038
Send paper filings by certified mail with return receipt. That creates a legal record of when the VA received the documents, which matters if the deadline is ever in question. Keep a complete copy of everything you send: the signed form, every attachment, and the mailing receipt.
You can also hand-deliver the form to your local VA regional office and get a timestamped receipt, or upload it through the VA’s QuickSubmit tool via AccessVA. An accredited representative can submit on your behalf through their own VA portal.
The One-Year Deadline and Your Effective Date
The date on your decision letter starts a one-year clock, and hitting that clock does more than keep your case alive. It protects the back pay.
File any of the three forms within one year of the decision date and you preserve the effective date from the original claim. If you win, any increased rating or newly granted benefit is paid back to that original date, not the date you filed the review.
Miss the one-year window and the math changes. A late Supplemental Claim can still be filed — there’s no cap on how many you can file on the same issue — but the VA treats the filing date as the new effective date, and the retroactive pay window is gone. Higher-Level Reviews and Board Appeals filed after one year are generally not accepted at all.
Lane switching preserves the effective date as long as each move happens within one year of the last decision. File a Higher-Level Review, lose, then file a Supplemental Claim with new evidence within a year of that Higher-Level Review decision, and your original effective date carries through the chain. Each new decision restarts the one-year clock for the next filing.
Getting Help From a Representative
You don’t have to file alone. Three types of VA-accredited representatives can prepare and submit these forms with you:
- Veterans Service Organization representatives from groups like the VFW, DAV, or American Legion help with paperwork, evidence, and hearings at no charge. Appoint one using VA Form 21-22.
- Accredited claims agents are non-attorney professionals licensed by the VA. They may charge fees for appeal work after an initial claim decision.
- VA-accredited attorneys can charge fees only after the VA has decided an initial claim, and fees are capped at 20 percent of any back pay awarded.
To appoint an individual attorney or claims agent, use VA Form 21-22a instead of 21-22. Neither form needs to be notarized. Before you sign with anyone, confirm they’re accredited through the VA Office of General Counsel search tool at va.gov/ogc/apps/accreditation. A VSO appointment stays in effect until you revoke it in writing, appoint someone new, or the organization withdraws.