Choose the question the reviewer is allowed to answer
Each route answers a different question. Picking the wrong one usually does not lose the claim, but it can cost months and, occasionally, an effective date.
| Route | What it looks at | New evidence? | Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supplemental Claim | A decided issue, reconsidered with new and relevant evidence | Yes — you submit or identify it | 20-0995 |
| Higher-Level Review | The same record, read again by a more senior adjudicator | No | 20-0996 |
| Board — Direct Review | The existing record, by a Veterans Law Judge | No | 10182 |
| Board — Evidence Submission | The record plus evidence filed in a set window | Within 90 days of VA receiving the appeal | 10182 |
| Board — Hearing | The record, plus a hearing and a further window | At the hearing or within 90 days after | 10182 |
| Court appeal | A final Board decision, for legal error | Generally no — it reviews the agency record | CAVC |
The distinction that matters most
If VA denied you because something was missing, a Higher-Level Review cannot fix it. HLR is a closed-record lane: a second, more senior reader looking at exactly what the first one had. It is the right choice when you believe the evidence already in the file was misread, overlooked, or measured against the wrong standard.
If the denial says the file lacked a medical opinion connecting your condition to service, the answer is evidence, and evidence means a Supplemental Claim or a Board docket that accepts it.
Read the stated reason for denial before choosing. More paper addressing an element VA already conceded does not answer a gap somewhere else.
Routes do not run in parallel
For the same issue, you generally cannot pursue two review routes at once, and what you have already done limits what remains. You cannot request a Higher-Level Review after an HLR or a Board appeal on that issue. Your decision notice and 38 C.F.R. §3.2500 control.
Timing
Review windows and the court deadline are on the dates and deadlines page. Do not use this table to calculate your own; use the instructions on your decision.
Weighing lanes on a real decision is exactly the thing an accredited representative does well, and VSO representation is free. Find help.
Rules and forms change, and exceptions apply. Follow the instructions on your own decision letter and the linked governing sources. This site does not track your deadlines or file anything for you.
Reviewed October 6, 2026