VA Veterans Disability Hearings

There are two types of Veterans disability hearings. There is a hearing with an employee of the local VA office and there is a hearing with an ALJ from the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

What type of hearing you have depends on how and when it is requested. If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me.

Veterans Disability Hearing Before Decision Review Officer at Regional Office

After you file your notice of disagreement or NOD you may request that your case be reviewed again by a Decision Review Officer or DRO form local office. You can request a personal hearing in front of the DRO. A personal hearing allows you to provide testimony and add insight into your case to try and persuade the DRO. You can have a representative or lawyer to assist you. If you have a representative they will ask you questions and present your case. The DRO may also ask questions. The process is informal and not like a court case you see on TV.

Veterans Disability Hearing Before Board of Veterans Appeals or BVA

After you file your NOD and then get your Statement of the Case or SOC you can file a Substantive Appeal using form VA Form 9 you send this form to your local regional office. You can ask for a hearing before a member of the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

There are a few ways you can have your hearing before the BVA. You can go to Washington, D.C. and have a hearing at the BVA location. You can also request a video hearing. At a video hearing you are at your local office and the Board Member is in Washington. Each side sees the other on a tv monitor. Although this method is not ideal since it is not as personal as an in person hearing and many things that might be seen in person don't come across on video it is the fastest way to get a hearing. Your last option is to have a hearing before the board member at your local office. There can be long delays with this method because there is a limited amount of judges and they travel from local office to local office.

These hearings are also informal. The Board Member will go over all the issues in your case and tell you about the purpose of the hearing and what will occur at the hearing. You can have a representative or lawyer at this hearing as well. Your representative will explain your theory of the case and ask you questions. The Board Member will also ask you questions. You will not find out that day if you have won or lost, a decision will be sent to you. The Board can allow, deny or remand your case. A remand is when the board sends your case back to the Regional VA office to get more information and reevaluate the case.

You can hire a lawyer to help with your VA hearing make sure to see my page on the new law that goes into affect on June 20, 2007.

We have attempted to provide up to date and accurate information, however the information in this site is not guaranteed. No attorney client relationship exist. The information in this site is not a substitute for consultation with a qualified attorney.
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