The appeals system gives you options, but it also gives you a clock. Under the Appeals Modernization Act, you generally have one year from the date of your decision to choose an appeal lane and preserve your effective date. Miss it and the consequences are real.
The three lanes and the clock
- Higher-Level Review — a senior reviewer re-examines the same evidence
- Supplemental Claim — you add new and relevant evidence
- Board Appeal — a Veterans Law Judge reviews your case
Choosing within the year keeps your original effective date intact. File after it lapses and you may keep your appeal rights only by starting over with a later date — losing back pay in the process.
Protect the date
If the deadline is close and your evidence is not ready, there are ways to preserve your rights while you build. Do not let the clock run out in silence. Act inside the year, every time.