Original VA guidance
The official VA text of this section
Official section title: M21-5, Appeals and Reviews, Resources
This page reproduces the VA text. Use the official VA source for any images and linked documents.
Resources
Appeals Modernization Act (AMA) Resources
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| Publication | Description |
|---|---|
| Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 (Appeals Modernization Act, or AMA) | Statutory authority to revise the VA disability claims appeals system. |
| VA Claims and Appeals Modernization Final Regulation (AQ26) | Final rule published in the Federal Register, implementing the AMA. |
| Notification of AMA Effective Date | Notice provided by VA that the effective date of AMA is February 19, 2019. |
| Congressionally Mandated Reports | Periodic progress reports on VA’s processing of legacy appeals and implementing the new appeals system. |
Office of Administrative Review (OAR) Resources
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| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| OAR Program Administration Intranet | Intranet landing page for OAR’s Program Administration staff, including policy and procedures, training, communications, quality assurance, and site visits. |
OAR Letters
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| Publication | Description |
|---|---|
| AMO Letter 17-01: Social Industrial Survey Development Actions | Letter to clarify procedures for the development and return of Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) remands based on the Board’s request for a social industrial survey in an appeal for total disability based upon individual unemployability (IU). As of August 8, 2017, VBA will not order Social Industrial Surveys. |
| AMO Letter 18-01: Rapid Appeals Modernization Program (RAMP) | Letter explains the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) initiative known as the Rapid Appeals Modernization Program (RAMP) that VA implemented as part of appeals modernization under Public Law 115-55. This policy letter was rescinded due to the publication of the discontinuation of RAMP in the Federal Register on October 18, 2022. |
| AMO Letter 19-01: Sensitive Record Access Levels for Decision Review Operations Center Employees | Letter to establish authorized levels of sensitive records access for employees under OAR’s jurisdiction. |
| AMO Letter 19-02: Processing of Procopio Board Grants | Letter provides procedural guidance on effectuating Board decisions issued prior to July 1, 2019, that concede herbicide exposure under the Procopio v. Wilke court decision. This policy letter was rescinded on October 4, 2024 because the Veterans Benefits Administration M21-1, Adjudication Procedures Manual was previously revised to implement Public Law 2116-23. |
| AMO Letter 19- 03: Establishment of M21-5, Appeals and Reviews | Letter announces a new manual, M21-5, which will house all materials and procedures under the jurisdiction of OAR. |
| AMO Letter 19-04: Higher Level Reviews and Subsequent Deferrals | Letter provides guidance to identify and report a defect in VBMS-A that prevents the clearing of end products with a concurrent deferred issue on another end product. This letter was rescinded on October 9, 2019 because the intended VBMS functionality was successfully deployed on October 6, 2019. |
| OAR Letter 21-01: Decision Review Operations Center (DROC) Structure and Implementation of Standard Operating Procedures | Letter provides guidance to establish and standardize an organizational structure for DROCs and document guidance for best practices for creating and organizing a new DROC. This letter was rescinded on October 4, 2024 because DROCs have been established and the information is now outdated. |
Agent and Attorney Fee Processing Resources
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| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| Agent/Attorney Fee Calculator | VBMS-A worksheet to calculate the amount of past-due benefits awarded and fee amount to be made available for attorney/agent payment, including applicable VA assessment. |
| Legacy Agent/Attorney Fee Calculator | Legacy worksheet to calculate the amount of past-due benefits awarded and fee amount to be made available for attorney/agent payment, including applicable VA assessment. |
| Fee Release Memorandum | Memorandum used by agent and attorney fee coordinators (AAFC) to request finance activity to release funds to the claimant and/or attorney/agent in accordance with the decision made on fee eligibility. |
| Interim Procedures for AEWs on Agent/Attorney Fee Cases | Interim guidance AAFCs should follow when an Audit Error Worksheet (AEW) is received after fees have been paid to an attorney or claims agent. |
| VA-Accreditation Search | Website to search VA-accredited attorneys, claims agents, or Veterans Service Organizations (VSO) representatives. |
| Pending Fiduciary Withholding Calculator | Worksheet to calculate the amount of retroactive funds to be withheld when direct payment of fees is potentially allowable and there is a proposal of incompetency. |
| VBMS-A Summary of Case Fee Decision Notice Job Aid | Provides guidance on how to create and send the Summary of Case Fee Decision Notice in VBMS-A. |
VBA Resources
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| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| Rating Job Aids | Provides a link to helpful references and resources for claims processors adjudicating claims. |
VBA Letters
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| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| VBA Letter 20-17-02: Realignment of Appeals Policy and Operational Control to the Appeals Management Office | Letter that provides guidance on the realignment of appeals policy and operational control to OAR. |
| VBA Letter 20-18-05: Decision Review Operations Centers | Letter that establishes three Decision Review Operations Centers under the operational control of OAR. |
Systems Resources
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| Publication | Description |
|---|---|
| Caseflow Intake: Extension Requests due to COVID-19 | Job Aid outlines the steps in Caseflow Intake to accept and document extension requests for filing deadlines for higher-level reviews and supplemental claims due to COVID-19 global pandemic. |
| Caseflow Intake: Supplemental Claims filed within One Year of a Court Decisions | Job aid provides guidance for supplemental claims filed within one year of a Court of Veterans Appeals for Veterans claims, Federal Circuit, or Supreme Court decision. |
| Caseflow Intake- Compensation & Pension Training Guide | Training guide on processing claims with the web-based application Caseflow Intake. |
| Caseflow Intake Job Aid: Search Functionality | Job Aid that explains search functionality within Caseflow. |
| Caseflow Intake Job Aid: Identify Status of AMA Claim | Job Aid that explains how to identify a pending AMA claim and status in Caseflow. |
| Caseflow Intake Job Aid: Identify Status of Board Appeal | Job Aid that explains how to identify the jurisdiction of the Board, and relevant information. |
| Adding and Removing Contentions in Caseflow Job Aid | Job Aid that assists with adding and removing contentions in Caseflow. |
| VBMS User Guides | Link to multiple VBMS user guides, including: VBMS Core, VBMS Awards, VBMS Rating, and VBMS User Roles. |
| VBMS AMA Job Aids | List of available Job Aids for AMA claims in VBMS. |
| VBMS-Awards: Non-Rating Contention Disposition Job Aid | Job Aid that outlines the process to document non-rating decision dispositions in VBMS- Awards. |
| VBMS-Rating: Favorable Findings Job Aid | Job Aid that outlines the process to document favorable findings in VBMS-Rating. |
| VBMS- Rating: Higher-Level Review Dispositions and Returns Job Aid | Job Aid that outlines the process to document dispositions of AMA HLR claims in VBMS- Rating. |
| VBMS-Rating: Supplemental Claim Dispositions Job Aid | Job Aid that outlines the process to document dispositions of AMA supplemental claims in VBMS- Rating. |
| VBMS-Rating: Reference Laws and Regulations Job Aid | Job Aid that outlines the process to correctly identify and document reference laws and regulations in VBMS- Rating. |
Helpful Websites
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| Publication | Description |
|---|---|
| VBA Learning Catalog | VBA catalog that allows the search of all VBA training items, including AMA-related curricula. |
| Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) | Website that compiles CFR material and Federal Register amendments produced by the National Archives, Office of the Federal Register, and the Government Publishing Office. |
| The Board of Veterans’ Appeals | Website for the Board of Veterans’ Appeals |
| United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims | Website for the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims |
| United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit | Website for the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit |