President Franklin Roosevelt created the Board of Veterans' Appeals by executive order on July 28, 1933, to give veterans a single place to appeal decisions on their benefits. For more than half a century its rulings were final, until the Veterans' Judicial Review Act of 1988 allowed veterans to take cases to an independent court. The Board is led by a Chairman appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
Veterans Law Judges at the Board review decisions by VA regional offices on disability compensation, pensions, education, and other benefits, holding hearings in person or by video and issuing written decisions. The Board can grant benefits, deny them, or send cases back for more development. Veterans who lose can appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and then to the Federal Circuit. The Board issues roughly a hundred thousand decisions a year.
Long waits once left veterans in an appeals process that could take many years. The Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017, which took effect on February 19, 2019, replaced the old system with three options: a higher-level review, a supplemental claim with new evidence, or an appeal directly to the Board. Supporters credit the change with faster decisions in the early lanes, while veterans' advocates note that Board appeals remain backlogged as claims from the PACT Act and other laws have surged.
| Status | Active |
| Abbreviation | BVA |
| Part of | The Department of Veterans Affairs |
| Led by | Chairman |
| Legal basis | Executive Order 6230 (1933), Veterans' Judicial Review Act of 1988, Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 |
| Official site | bva.va.gov |
| Created | July 28, 1933 |
| Decision makers | Veterans Law Judges |
| Next level of appeal | U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims |
| Judicial review allowed since | 1988 |
| Modernized system | In effect since February 19, 2019 |
| Annual decisions | Roughly 100,000 |
| Date | Created July 28, 1933 |
| Location | Washington, D.C. |