Your first VA decision, and the year after it
The letter is long and the part you need is short. Here is how to read it and what you can do within a year.
The four parts of the letter
A VA decision usually has a summary of what was decided, a list of the evidence the VA looked at, the reasons it gave, and the rating and start date. Read the evidence list first. If a record you sent isn’t on it, that’s the likeliest reason for a poor result.
Ratings and the date
The rating is the percentage the VA assigned to each condition. The effective date is when payment begins, and it can be the single most valuable line on the page. A claim that’s won after a challenge can keep an early effective date, if you act in time.
Three ways to disagree
Within one year of the decision, you can choose one of three lanes:
- A supplemental claim, with new evidence the VA hasn’t seen
- A higher-level review, where a senior reviewer looks at the same record again
- An appeal to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, with or without a hearing
Each lane suits a different problem. If the evidence was missing, a supplemental claim usually fits. If the reviewer misread what was there, a higher-level review might. I’ll tell you which, and why.
What a lawyer may charge
A lawyer may be paid for a VA claim only after the VA has made its first decision, and the fee is limited by rule. Ask about any costs separately, and ask in writing.
The year after a decision is the cheapest time to fix it. Every month of waiting is a month you can’t get back.