Overview of the Appeals Process for Veterans' Claims is a report prepared by the Congressional Research Service detailing the life cycle of veterans' claims.
Oral arguments from the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Oral arguments from the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
The VA has specific rules governing representation of veterans during the claims or appeals process. The first step of representation is accreditation by the VA.
See Title 38 of the Code of Federal Regulations § 14.629 for guidance on accreditation.
For accreditation application forms and procedures see the VA accreditation web page.
Only accredited attorneys and agents may charge a fee for services provided in connection with a veteran's benefits claim.
For more information on fees and fee agreements see Title 38 of the Code of Federal Regulations § 14.636 and the VA accreditation web page.
Members of the Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA) review benefit claims determinations made by local VA offices and issue decision on appeals. BVA is equivalent in function to what a mid-level appeal ate court is to a supreme court. Cases usually must first be considered by BVA before the veteran may appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
BVA created a pamphlet called How Do I Appeal that is intended to explain the steps involved in filing an appeal and to serve as a reference for the terms and abbreviations used in the appeal process.
BVA Decisions Search is a public data base that archives BVA opinions from 1992 until present. Older BVA opinions are available for public inspection and copying in the BVA Research Center, 811 Vermont Ave NW, Washington, DC 20420.
BVA decisions may also be searched in the following databases:
The U.S. Supreme Court rarely hears appeals regarding veterans' issues although there are a few decisions out there. In addition, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has limited jurisdiction to review legal rulings by the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Most veterans' appeals are decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) after the Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA) has considered and ruled on the veteran's claim.
Recent U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit decisions are listed here. "CACV" is the case type or origin identifier for veterans cases.
CAVC decisions are searchable here on the CAVC web site.
Both Federal Circuit and CAVC cases are searchable in the following resources and databases:
VA's Office of the General Counsel adjudicates representative accreditation. Veterans seeking representation may search for accredited attorneys or organizations on the General Counsel's web page.
