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VA Appeal Deadline Calculator
After a VA decision, you have one year from the date on the decision letter to file a Higher-Level Review, a Supplemental Claim that keeps your effective date, or a Board appeal. On the Board's Evidence docket, evidence is due within 90 days after the appeal is filed. After a Board decision, an appeal to the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims is due within 120 days. A deadline that falls on a weekend or legal holiday moves to the next workday.
- One year: HLR, Supplemental, Board
- 90-day Board evidence
- 120 days to the CAVC
- Weekends & holidays rolled
Enter any date above to see the deadlines that run from it.
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The calculator follows VA's computation rules, but mail and upload delays are real. File well before the date shown, keep proof of when you sent it, and check the deadline against the decision letter itself. Not sure which review to pick? Read HLR or Supplemental Claim: which should I file? and choosing a Board docket.
Representatives: Commander for Advocates tracks these deadlines for every client automatically. See how it works. Also free: the VA fee calculator.
Questions
Common questions about VA appeal deadlines
- How long do I have to appeal a VA decision?
- One year from the date on the decision letter for a Higher-Level Review (VA Form 20-0996), a Supplemental Claim (VA Form 20-0995) that keeps your original effective date, or a Board appeal (VA Form 10182) (38 CFR 3.2500; 20.203(b)). A Supplemental Claim can be filed later with new evidence, but the effective date usually moves.
- What if the deadline falls on a weekend or holiday?
- It runs to the next workday. VA counts from the day after the letter's date and, if the last day is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, includes the next workday (38 CFR 3.110; 20.110). For example, a decision dated July 4, 2026 has a one-year date of Sunday, July 4, 2027; Monday, July 5 is the observed holiday, so the deadline becomes Tuesday, July 6, 2027.
- How long do I have to send evidence on a Board appeal?
- On the Evidence Submission docket, evidence is accepted within 90 days after VA receives the Notice of Disagreement (38 CFR 20.303). On the Hearing docket, evidence comes at the hearing or within 90 days after it. The Direct Review docket takes no new evidence.
- How long do I have to appeal a Board decision to the court?
- 120 days after the date the Board decision is issued, by filing a notice of appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (38 U.S.C. 7266(a)). You can also file a Supplemental Claim within one year of a Board decision instead.
- Which date on the letter counts?
- The date on the notification letter is treated as the date VA mailed it (38 CFR 3.110(b)). Count from that date, not the day the letter arrived.
A calendaring aid, not legal advice. Holidays are federal legal holidays as observed; a holiday declared by executive order isn't known in advance. A free VA-accredited VSO can confirm your deadline.
Know what the decision actually says.
Decode the decision letter to see each issue, why it was denied, and which review fits.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Claim Commander is not a VSO, law firm, or accredited representative.