Forged Council

Appeal Pathway Finder

Choose the right appeal lane — don't waste months on the wrong path

When was your claim denied?

Feature	Supplemental Claim	Higher Level Review	Board Appeal
Timeline	4-6 months	4-5 months	12-24 months
New Evidence?	Required	Not allowed	Optional
Hearing?	No	Informal conference	Yes (optional)
Success Rate	~25%	~20%	~30%
Best For	New medical evidence	VA made an error	Complex cases

Don't file an HLR if you have new evidence — you can't submit it in a Higher Level Review.

Don't go straight to Board Appeal — it takes 2+ years. Try Supplemental Claim or HLR first.

Don't miss the 1-year deadline — you lose your effective date and potential back pay.

Don't file CUE unless you can point to a SPECIFIC legal or factual error in the decision.

Need help? Forged Council walks you through every step.

Forged Council

Choose the right appeal lane — don't waste months on the wrong path

Feature	Supplemental Claim	Higher Level Review	Board Appeal
Timeline	4-6 months	4-5 months	12-24 months
New Evidence?	Required	Not allowed	Optional
Hearing?	No	Informal conference	Yes (optional)
Success Rate	~25%	~20%	~30%
Best For	New medical evidence	VA made an error	Complex cases

Don't file an HLR if you have new evidence — you can't submit it in a Higher Level Review.

Don't go straight to Board Appeal — it takes 2+ years. Try Supplemental Claim or HLR first.

Don't miss the 1-year deadline — you lose your effective date and potential back pay.

Don't file CUE unless you can point to a SPECIFIC legal or factual error in the decision.

Need help? Forged Council walks you through every step.