Under the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA), which took effect on February 19th, 2019, veterans can appeal directly to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) after an initial claim, Supplemental Claim, or Higher-Level Review decision. Two Board appeals can not be submitted in a row for the same claim.
Veterans have one year from the date on their decision letter to file a Board Appeal, which can be done by filling out VA Form 10182.
How to Fill Out Your VA Form 10182 Application
Section 1 – Personal Information
In this section, you will provide your personal information, including your name, Social Security Number, VA File Number (if different than your SSN), date of birth, preferred mailing address, preferred telephone number, email address, and representative’s name (if applicable).
Section 2 – Board Review Option
In this section, you will choose the Board review option that is most appropriate for your claim:
- Option 1, Direct Review by a Veterans Law Judge: You should select this option if you do not want a Board hearing and have no additional evidence to submit. This option typically provides the fastest decision but the decision you will receive will be based on the evidence already in your file at the time of your appeal.
- Option 2, Evidence Submission Reviewed By A Veterans Law Judge: this option is best if you do not want a Board hearing but still want to submit additional evidence for review. If you choose this option, you must provide that additional evidence within 90 days of your filing. This option typically takes longer than Direct Review because of the additional time provided for you to submit evidence and the additional time needed for the judge to review the new evidence.
- Option 3, Hearing With A Veterans Law Judge: this option is best for veterans who want a Board hearing before the Veterans Law Judge deciding their case and to submit additional evidence for consideration with their claim. This option provides a longer time frame for submitting evidence because new evidence can be submitted within 90 days after your hearing, and hearings typically take months, if not longer, to schedule. This extended timeline provides you with ample opportunity to find and submit additional supporting evidence for your claim. However, under this option, veterans often wait the longest to receive their decision from the Board.
Section 3 – Specific Issue(s) To Be Appealed to A Veterans Law Judge At the Board
In this section, you will need to list each issue decided by the VA which you would like to appeal. Before completing the table, first decide if you want to attach additional sheets for issues that could not fit in the space provided. You will need to check the box provided above the table if you want the VA to review those additional sheets. Additionally, there is a second small box you can check if any of the issues you plan to list are under the legacy appeals system and you would like to withdraw them from the legacy appeals process. Moving on to the table, in column 12A describe the issue you are appealing. In the adjacent box in column 12B, provide the date of the decision notice for that issue. After filling out the table and any additional sheets for all the issues you would like to appeal, you can move on to the next section.
Section IV – Certification And Signature
Here, you will need to sign and date the document to ensure it is authorized before submitting it to the VA.
Contact The Veterans Law Office About Your Board Appeal
If you are looking for assistance filing your Board appeal, our veterans law attorneys are a great resource to determine the best strategy to win your claim. Please contact us today to take the next step in securing your VA disability benefits.
