Claim Raven explanation
What this means
This regulation lists two methods for a Board appeal hearing: an in-person hearing at the Board's principal location in Washington, DC, or an electronic hearing that carries picture and sound between the appellant at a VA facility and the Board.
The regulation describes the hearing methods. It does not itself set the time for requesting a hearing, the notice period, or the procedure for changing the method; section 20.703 addresses those points.
How this helps your claim
The hearing method affects where the appellant appears and how the proceeding is conducted. Section 20.702 describes the permitted methods in the regulation. The Board's current scheduling notice and instructions remain important because hearing operations and available locations can change, and another rule governs when the request is made or the method is changed.
What to check in your records
Read the Board's hearing notice for the assigned method, appearance location, connection instructions, date, and time, then compare it with the method requested on the Notice of Disagreement.
- Keep the Notice of Disagreement showing the requested hearing and docket option.
- Save the Board's scheduling notice and every later notice changing the method or location.
- Preserve any correspondence about access, technology, accommodations, or a requested method change.
Use the scheduling notice as the operating instruction
Confirm the hearing method as soon as the notice arrives. If the listed method differs from the request or creates an access problem, use the Board's current instructions to raise the issue and keep proof of the request.
For an electronic hearing, test the location and connection arrangements the Board provides. For an in-person hearing, confirm the address and arrival instructions rather than relying on an older notice or general description.
Does this section guarantee that I can choose any hearing format?
No. It lists hearing methods in the regulation. Section 20.703 says the Board determines the method that can be scheduled on the earliest practical date and provides notice, subject to the rule for one requested change.
Official regulatory text
38 CFR § 20.702
eCFR snapshot: 2026-09-17. Layout and spacing are adapted for reading. The full section and its tables are included below.
§ 20.702 Rule 702. Methods by which hearings are conducted.
A hearing on appeal before the Board may be held by one of the following methods:
(a) In person at the Board's principal location in Washington, DC, or
(b) By electronic hearing, through picture and voice transmission, with the appellant appearing at a Department of Veterans Affairs facility.
(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 7102, 7105(a), 7107)
[84 FR 186, Jan. 18, 2019]
Related references
- 38 CFR § 20.700: The purpose and limits of a Board hearing
- 38 CFR § 20.703: When to request a Board hearing and change its method
- 38 CFR § 20.5: The right to representation in a Board appeal
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