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This tool provides estimates for educational purposes only. We are not accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs and do not file claims, provide legal advice, or represent veterans before the VA (38 U.S.C. § 5904). For official assistance, contact a VSO, CVSO, or VA-accredited attorney.

Your claim was denied. What now?

Based on The Appeals Modernization Act (AMA) framework at 38 CFR Part 3, Subpart D, and the statutes that govern each appeal lane. This page is a free community resource. We are not VA-accredited and do not file claims or provide legal advice (per 38 U.S.C. § 5904).

Last reviewed: April 2026 · Next review: October 2026

Maintained by: Veterans Benefits Navigator editorial team. Every citation links to a primary federal or state source. See editorial standards and our privacy posture.

Primary sources: 38 CFR Part 3, Subpart D (Modernized Appeals), 38 U.S.C. § 5104B (Higher-Level Review), 38 U.S.C. § 5108 (Supplemental Claim), 38 U.S.C. § 7105 (Board appeals), 38 U.S.C. § 5110 (Effective dates)

A denial is not the end of the claim. Under the Appeals Modernization Act, most veterans have three defined lanes to challenge or rework a decision, and a one-year window to use them without losing the earlier effective date. This page explains what the denial usually means, which lane tends to fit which situation, and what to do this week.

First — breathe. You have a year.

From the date on your decision letter, you generally have one year to respond through any of the three AMA lanes without losing the original effective date. If you file a Higher-Level Review, Supplemental Claim, or Notice of Disagreement to the Board within that year and the claim is eventually granted, back pay can reach all the way back to your original effective date[src]. Miss the year, and you can still file again — but typically as a new claim, with a new effective date and no protected back pay for the months in between.

That single rule is why the first thing to do is not to argue with the letter. It is to put the one-year deadline on a calendar and leave yourself time to choose a lane.

Why was your claim denied?

The decision letter contains a section usually titled Reasons and Bases. That is where the VA rater explains, condition by condition, what was missing. Most denials fall into one of a handful of patterns:

  • No service connection. The rater could not find a medical nexus linking the current condition to something that happened in service. A common fix is a new nexus opinion from a treating provider.
  • Not enough evidence of a current disability. The records in the file did not show the condition as active today. A recent treatment note or specialist evaluation can close that gap.
  • Condition not severe enough to rate. VA may have service-connected the condition but assigned 0%. This is a separate appeal path — the service connection itself is not the issue; the severity rating is. See our increase guide for when a rating-increase approach may fit better than a denial-style appeal.
  • Filing deadline missed. Rare on an initial claim, but possible on an appeal or on a claim that reopened after a prior final decision.
  • Character of discharge barred consideration. If your discharge is anything other than honorable or general, VA first has to decide whether the discharge bars benefits. A discharge-upgrade or character-of-discharge determination may be the right first step (a dedicated VBN explainer is in the pipeline).

The decision-letter guide on this site walks through how to read each section and extract the specific reason your claim was denied — see how to read your VA decision letter. Knowing the real reason is what lets you pick the right lane.

Your three appeal lanes

Under the AMA, codified across 38 CFR § 3.2500 and the following sections, there are three ways to contest a decision[src]. They are not ranked; they are different tools for different problems.

Higher-Level Review (HLR)

A senior VA reviewer takes a fresh look at the same evidence that was in the file when the decision was made. No new documents are allowed[src]. You can request an informal conference to point out where you think the rater went wrong. Typical processing is roughly 125 days. HLR fits best when you believe the VA applied the wrong rule or misread evidence that was already in front of it.

Supplemental Claim

You submit new and relevant evidence — something that was not in the file last time and that could reasonably affect the outcome[src]. A new nexus letter, private medical records, a buddy statement, or updated C&P exam findings all qualify. Typical processing is roughly 145 days. A Supplemental Claim is usually the right lane when the denial turned on missing evidence you can now produce.

Board Appeal

Review by a Veterans Law Judge at the Board of Veterans' Appeals, under 38 U.S.C. § 7105[src]. The Board has three dockets:

  • Direct — same evidence, no hearing. Typical processing is roughly 365 days.
  • Evidence — you may submit new evidence within 90 days of filing. No hearing.
  • Hearing — videoconference or in-person before a judge. Typical processing is roughly 730 days or more.

A Board appeal fits best when the dispute is genuinely legal (how a regulation applies) or credibility-based (the rater did not credit a statement the Board might). The timelines are long, which is why it is usually not the first stop.

Which lane is typically right?

  • New evidence you can produce within a few weeks? A Supplemental Claim is often the cleanest path.
  • Same evidence, and you think VA got the rule wrong? Higher-Level Review may be the right fit.
  • Complex legal dispute or a credibility call? A Board appeal may be warranted, with the understanding that it can take a year or more.
  • Not sure? Many veterans start with a Supplemental Claim if they have anything new, and hold the Board route in reserve. Our appeal path selector walks through this lane-by-lane.

What to do this week

  1. Mark your one-year appeal deadline on a calendar. Use the date printed on the decision letter as day zero. This single step protects your effective date and any retroactive pay that might follow a grant.
  2. Re-read the Reasons and Bases. Once, slowly. Underline the specific missing element — nexus, severity, in-service event. The decision-letter guide explains each section.
  3. Contact your CVSO or VSO. Accredited representatives can sit down with you and help submit the HLR, Supplemental Claim, or Board form at no cost. They work with denials every day.
  4. If you are considering a paid attorney, verify accreditation first.Use the VA's accreditation search before signing anything. A VBN explainer on what accreditation means and how to check it is coming soon.

What NOT to do

  • Do not pay an unaccredited company a percentage of future back pay to “file an appeal” for you. That arrangement is generally prohibited under 38 U.S.C. § 5904[src]. Accredited VSOs and CVSOs do this work at no cost; accredited attorneys are bound by fee rules that cap what they may charge.
  • Do not let the one-year window lapse hoping the next decision will read differently. The window itself is what preserves your original effective date.
  • Do not start a brand-new initial claim for the same condition instead of appealing. A new claim resets the effective date and gives up the months (or years) of potential back pay that the AMA lanes protect.

Educational use only

This page is a free community resource. Veterans Benefits Navigator is not accredited by the VA and does not file claims, submit appeals, or provide legal advice (38 U.S.C. § 5904). For representation, contact a VSO, CVSO, or VA-accredited attorney.

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