VA Appeals Exam Questions (2026): 15 Free Practice Questions with Answers

1. Under 38 CFR 3.2500(a), what are the three review options available to a claimant who disagrees with an agency of original jurisdiction decision?

1. A. Reconsideration, reopening, and revision
2. B. Supplemental claim, higher-level review, and appeal to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals
3. C. Notice of disagreement, substantive appeal, and hearing
4. D. Administrative review, judicial review, and congressional inquiry

Show answer and explanation

Answer: B. Under 38 CFR 3.2500(a), the three AMA review options are a supplemental claim, higher-level review, and appeal to the Board.

Why the tempting wrong answer fails: C lists legacy-system steps, not the AMA options.

Source: 38 CFR 3.2500(a)

2. A claimant filed a timely request for higher-level review. While it is pending, the claimant files a Notice of Disagreement with the Board on the same issue. Under 38 CFR 3.2500(b), what is the result?

1. A. Both proceed at the same time
2. B. The second filing is barred while the first review is pending final adjudication; the claimant must withdraw the pending request to switch lanes
3. C. The Board holds the NOD until the higher-level review finishes, then decides both
4. D. The higher-level review is automatically converted to a Board appeal

Show answer and explanation

Answer: B. Under 38 CFR 3.2500(b), a claimant may not file for review under a different option on the same issue while a review is pending final adjudication.

Why the tempting wrong answer fails: C invents a holding procedure; the regulation bars the concurrent filing outright.

Source: 38 CFR 3.2500(b)

3. Under 38 CFR 3.2500(d), when may a claimant withdraw a supplemental claim or higher-level review request, and when is the withdrawal effective?

1. A. Only within 30 days of filing; effective on mailing
2. B. At any time before VA renders a decision on the issue; effective the date VA receives it
3. C. Only with VA approval; effective on approval
4. D. At any time, even after the decision; effective retroactively

Show answer and explanation

Answer: B. Under 38 CFR 3.2500(d), withdrawal is allowed any time before VA decides the issue and takes effect when VA receives it.

Why the tempting wrong answer fails: D would allow undoing decided cases; withdrawal ends at decision.

Source: 38 CFR 3.2500(d)

4. The AOJ denied a claim with notice on June 1, 2024. The claimant filed a supplemental claim with new and relevant evidence on March 1, 2025, which is granted. Under 38 CFR 3.2500(h)(1), what effective date applies?

1. A. March 1, 2025, the date VA received the supplemental claim
2. B. The date VA received the original claim, because continuous pursuit preserves it when the supplemental claim is filed within one year of the decision notice
3. C. June 1, 2024, the date of the denial
4. D. The date entitlement arose, regardless of filing dates

Show answer and explanation

Answer: B. Under 38 CFR 3.2500(h)(1), a supplemental claim filed within one year of the decision notice keeps continuous pursuit alive, preserving the original claim’s effective date.

Why the tempting wrong answer fails: A applies the more-than-one-year rule; within the year, the original date survives.

Source: 38 CFR 3.2500(h)(1)

5. An agent submits new medical evidence with a request for higher-level review. Under 38 CFR 3.2601(f), what happens to that evidence?

1. A. It is added to the record and considered
2. B. The higher-level adjudicator may not consider it, because the record is limited to the evidence of record when the AOJ issued notice
3. C. It is considered only if submitted within 90 days
4. D. It converts the request into a supplemental claim automatically

Show answer and explanation

Answer: B. Under 38 CFR 3.2601(f), higher-level review is a closed-record review; new evidence cannot be considered and belongs in another lane.

Why the tempting wrong answer fails: A treats HLR like a supplemental claim; the closed record is HLR’s defining feature.

Source: 38 CFR 3.2601(f)

6. Under 38 CFR 20.201(a), how does a claimant initiate an appeal to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals in the AMA system?

1. A. By filing VA Form 10182, Decision Review Request: Board Appeal
2. B. By calling the Board’s hotline
3. C. By filing VA Form 9
4. D. By sending a letter to the agency of original jurisdiction

Show answer and explanation

Answer: A. Under 38 CFR 20.201(a), the Notice of Disagreement in the AMA system is filed on VA Form 10182.

Why the tempting wrong answer fails: C is the legacy substantive-appeal form, not the AMA NOD.

Source: 38 CFR 20.201(a)

7. Under 38 CFR 20.202, which three dockets may a claimant select when appealing to the Board?

1. A. Direct review, evidence submission, and hearing
2. B. Expedited, standard, and complex
3. C. Regional office, Board, and Court
4. D. Informal, formal, and de novo

Show answer and explanation

Answer: A. Under 38 CFR 20.202, Board appeals go on one of three dockets: direct review, evidence submission, or hearing.

Why the tempting wrong answer fails: B invents docket names; the regulation’s three are fixed.

Source: 38 CFR 20.202

8. A claimant selects the evidence submission docket for a Board appeal. Under 38 CFR 20.203, how long after the Board issues notice that the appeal is docketed may the claimant submit additional evidence?

1. A. 30 days
2. B. 60 days
3. C. 90 days
4. D. One year

Show answer and explanation

Answer: C. Under 38 CFR 20.203, the evidence submission docket allows additional evidence within 90 days after the Board’s docketing notice.

Why the tempting wrong answer fails: D confuses the appeal-filing period with the evidence window.

Source: 38 CFR 20.203

9. Under 38 U.S.C. 7105(b)(1), within what period after notice of an AOJ decision must a claimant file a Notice of Disagreement to appeal to the Board?

1. A. 60 days
2. B. 120 days
3. C. One year
4. D. Two years

Show answer and explanation

Answer: C. Under 38 U.S.C. 7105(b)(1), the Notice of Disagreement must be filed within one year of the date VA mails notice of the decision.

Why the tempting wrong answer fails: B is the Court appeal period, not the Board NOD period.

Source: 38 U.S.C. 7105(b)(1)

10. In the legacy appeals system, after VA issued a statement of the case, the claimant had to file a substantive appeal (VA Form 9) within what time under 38 CFR 20.302(b)?

1. A. 30 days from the statement of the case, with no alternative
2. B. 60 days from the mailing of the statement of the case or one year from the decision notice, whichever is later
3. C. One year from the statement of the case in all cases
4. D. 90 days from the notice of disagreement

Show answer and explanation

Answer: B. Under 38 CFR 20.302(b), the legacy substantive appeal was due within 60 days of the SOC mailing or within one year of the decision notice, whichever was later.

Why the tempting wrong answer fails: A drops the one-year alternative that saved many late Form 9s.

Source: 38 CFR 20.302(b)

11. Under 38 CFR 3.2501, simultaneously contested claims are handled how?

1. A. Exactly like any other claim, with the standard review options
2. B. Under special procedures that protect each contesting party’s rights, including notice to all parties
3. C. They are decided by the Court instead of the agency of original jurisdiction
4. D. The first filer automatically wins

Show answer and explanation

Answer: B. Under 38 CFR 3.2501, simultaneously contested claims follow special procedures, including notice to each contesting party, because two claimants seek the same benefit.

Why the tempting wrong answer fails: D invents a first-to-file rule the regulation does not contain.

Source: 38 CFR 3.2501

12. On the Board’s direct review docket under 38 CFR 20.202(b), what evidence may the Board consider?

1. A. Any evidence submitted within 90 days of docketing
2. B. Only the evidence that was of record at the time of the agency of original jurisdiction decision
3. C. New evidence presented at a hearing
4. D. Evidence the veteran emails to the Board judge

Show answer and explanation

Answer: B. Under 38 CFR 20.202(b), the direct review docket is a closed-record review limited to the evidence before the AOJ when it decided.

Why the tempting wrong answer fails: A describes the evidence submission docket, not direct review.

Source: 38 CFR 20.202(b)

13. A claimant who selected the hearing docket wants to submit new evidence. Under 38 CFR 20.205, when may evidence be submitted on the hearing docket?

1. A. At any time before the Board decides
2. B. At the hearing and within 90 days after the hearing
3. C. Only before the hearing is scheduled
4. D. Never; the hearing docket is closed-record

Show answer and explanation

Answer: B. Under 38 CFR 20.205, on the hearing docket evidence may be submitted at the hearing and within 90 days following it.

Why the tempting wrong answer fails: D confuses the hearing docket with direct review; hearings allow evidence.

Source: 38 CFR 20.205

14. Under 38 U.S.C. 7266(a), within what period after the Board mails its decision may a claimant appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims?

1. A. 60 days
2. B. 90 days
3. C. 120 days
4. D. One year

Show answer and explanation

Answer: C. Under 38 U.S.C. 7266(a), a Notice of Appeal to the Court must be filed within 120 days after the Board mails notice of its decision.

Why the tempting wrong answer fails: D is the Board appeal period; the Court’s window is much shorter.

Source: 38 U.S.C. 7266(a)

15. Under 38 U.S.C. 7104(a), Board decisions must be based on what?

1. A. The Board member’s personal judgment alone
2. B. The entire record, applicable law and regulations, and precedent opinions of the General Counsel
3. C. Only the most recent VA examination
4. D. Whatever the agency of original jurisdiction recommended

Show answer and explanation

Answer: B. Under 38 U.S.C. 7104(a), Board decisions rest on the entire record, governing law and regulations, and binding General Counsel precedent opinions.

Why the tempting wrong answer fails: D would make the Board a rubber stamp; it decides de novo on the record.

Source: 38 U.S.C. 7104(a)