The Board

38 C.F.R. Part ..., Subpart B
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01

38 C.F.R. § 20.100 Rule 100. Establishment of the Board.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals is established by authority of, and functions pursuant to, title 38, United States Code, chapter 71.

38 C.F.R. § 20.101 Rule 101. Composition of the Board; titles.

(a) The Board consists of a Chairman, Vice Chairman, Deputy Vice Chairmen, Members and professional, administrative, clerical and stenographic personnel. Deputy Vice Chairmen are Members of the Board who are appointed to that office by the Secretary upon the recommendation of the Chairman. (b) A Member of the Board (other than the Chairman) may also be known as a Veterans Law Judge. An individual designated as an acting member pursuant to 38 U.S.C. 7101(c)(1) may also be known as an acting Veterans Law Judge.

38 C.F.R. § 20.102 Rule 102. Name, business hours, and mailing address of the Board.

(a) Name. The name of the Board is the Board of Veterans' Appeals. (b) Business hours. The Board is open during business hours on all days except Saturday, Sunday and legal holidays. Business hours are from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (c) Mailing address. The mailing address of the Board is: Board of Veterans' Appeals, P.O. Box 27063, Washington, DC 20038. Mail to the Board that is not related to an appeal must be addressed to: Board of Veterans' Appeals, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20420.

38 C.F.R. § 20.103 Rule 103. Principal functions of the Board.

The principal functions of the Board are to make determinations of appellate jurisdiction, consider all applications on appeal properly before it, conduct hearings on appeal, evaluate the evidence of record, and enter decisions in writing on the questions presented on appeal.

38 C.F.R. § 20.104 Rule 104. Jurisdiction of the Board.

(a) General. All questions of law and fact necessary to a decision by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs under a law that affects the provision of benefits by the Secretary to veterans or their dependents or survivors are subject to review on appeal to the Secretary. Decisions in such appeals are made by the Board of Veterans' Appeals. Examples of the issues over which the Board has jurisdiction include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) Entitlement to, and benefits resulting from, service-connected disability or death (38 U.S.C. chapter 11). (2) Dependency and indemnity compensation for service-connected death, including benefits in certain cases of inservice or service-connected deaths (38 U.S.C. 1312) and certification and entitlement to death gratuity (38 U.S.C. 1323). (3) Benefits for survivors of certain veterans rated totally disabled at time of death (38 U.S.C. 1318). (4) Entitlement to nonservice-connected disability pension, service pension and death pension (38 U.S.C. chapter 15). (5) All-Volunteer Force Educational Assistance Program (38 U.S.C. chapter 30). (6) Training and Rehabilitation for Veterans with Service-Connected Disabilities (38 U.S.C. chapter 31). (7) Post-Vietnam Era Veterans' Educational Assistance (38 U.S.C. chapter 32). (8) Veterans' Educational Assistance (38 U.S.C. chapter 34). (9) Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (38 U.S.C. chapter 35). (10) Veterans' Job Training (Pub. L. 98-77, as amended; 38 CFR 21.4600 et seq.). (11) Educational Assistance for Members of the Selected Reserve (10 U.S.C. chapter 106). (12) Educational Assistance Test Program (10 U.S.C. chapter 107; 38 CFR 21.5701 et seq.). (13) Educational Assistance Pilot Program (10 U.S.C. chapter 107; 38 CFR 21.5290 et seq.). (14) Matters arising under National Service Life Insurance and United States Government Life Insurance (38 U.S.C. chapter 19). (15) Payment or reimbursement for unauthorized medical expenses (38 U.S.C. 1728). (16) Burial benefits and burial in National Cemeteries (38 U.S.C. chapters 23 and 24). (17) Benefits for persons disabled by medical treatment or vocational rehabilitation (38 U.S.C. 1151). (18) Basic eligibility for home, condominium and mobile home loans as well as waiver of payment of loan guaranty indebtedness (38 U.S.C. chapter 37, 38 U.S.C. 5302). (19) Waiver of recovery of overpayments (38 U.S.C. 5302). (20) Forfeiture of rights, claims or benefits for fraud, treason, or subversive activities (38 U.S.C. 6102-6105). (21) Character of discharge (38 U.S.C. 5303). (22) Determinations as to duty status (38 U.S.C. 101(21)-(24)). (23) Determinations as to marital status (38 U.S.C. 101(3), 103). (24) Determination of dependency status as parent or child (38 U.S.C. 101(4), (5)). (25) Validity of claims and effective dates of benefits (38 U.S.C. chapter 51). (26) Apportionment of benefits (38 U.S.C. 5307). (27) Payment of benefits while a veteran is hospitalized and questions regarding an estate of an incompetent institutionalized veteran (38 U.S.C. 5503). (28) Benefits for surviving spouses and children of deceased veterans under Public Law 97-377, section 156 (38 CFR 3.812(d)). (29) Eligibility for automobile and automobile adaptive equipment assistance (38 U.S.C. chapter 39). (b) Appellate jurisdiction of determinations of the Veterans Health Administration. The Board's appellate jurisdiction extends to questions of eligibility for hospitalization, outpatient treatment, and nursing home and domiciliary care; for devices such as prostheses, canes, wheelchairs, back braces, orthopedic shoes, and similar appliances; and for other benefits administered by the Veterans Health Administration. Medical determinations, such as determinations of the need for and appropriateness of specific types of medical care and treatment for an individual, are not adjudicative matters and are beyond the Board's jurisdiction. Typical examples of these issues are whether a particular drug should be prescribed, whether a specific type of physiotherapy should be ordered, and similar judgmental treatment decisions with which an attending physician may be faced. (c) Authority to determine jurisdiction. The Board shall decide all questions pertaining to its jurisdictional authority to review a particular case. When the Board, on its own initiative, raises a question as to a potential jurisdictional defect, all parties to the proceeding and their representative(s), if any, will be given notice of the potential jurisdictional defect(s) and granted a period of 60 days following the date on which such notice is mailed to present written argument and additional evidence relevant to jurisdiction and to request a hearing to present oral argument on the jurisdictional question(s). The date of mailing of the notice will be presumed to be the same as the date stamped on the letter of notification. The Board may dismiss any case over which it determines it does not have jurisdiction. (d)(1) Appeals as to jurisdiction in legacy claims and appeals. All claimants in legacy appeals, as defined in § 19.2 of this chapter, have the right to appeal a determination made by the agency of original jurisdiction that the Board does not have jurisdictional authority to review a particular case. Jurisdictional questions which a claimant may appeal, include, but are not limited to, questions relating to the timely filing and adequacy of the Notice of Disagreement and the Substantive Appeal. (2) Application of 20.904 and 20.1305. Section 20.904 of this part shall not apply to proceedings to determine the Board's own jurisdiction. However, the Board may remand a case to an agency of original jurisdiction in order to obtain assistance in securing evidence of jurisdictional facts. The time restrictions on requesting a hearing and submitting additional evidence in § 20.1305 of this part do not apply to a hearing requested, or evidence submitted, under paragraph (c) of this section.

38 C.F.R. § 20.105 Rule 105. Criteria governing disposition of appeals.

In the consideration of appeals and in its decisions, the Board is bound by applicable statutes, regulations of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and precedent opinions of the General Counsel of the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Board is not bound by Department manuals, circulars, or similar administrative issues.

38 C.F.R. § 20.106 Rule 106. Assignment of proceedings.

(a) Assignment. The Chairman may assign a proceeding instituted before the Board, including any motion, to an individual Member or to a panel of three or more Members for adjudication or other appropriate action. The Chairman may participate in a proceeding assigned to a panel of Members. (b) Inability to serve. If a Member is unable to participate in the disposition of a proceeding or motion to which the Member has been assigned, the Chairman may assign the proceeding or motion to another Member or substitute another Member (in the case of a proceeding or motion assigned to a panel).

38 C.F.R. § 20.107 Rule 107. Disqualification of Members.

(a) General. A Member of the Board will disqualify himself or herself in a hearing or decision on an appeal if that appeal involves a determination in which he or she participated or had supervisory responsibility in the agency of original jurisdiction prior to his or her appointment as a Member of the Board, or where there are other circumstances which might give the impression of bias either for or against the appellant. (b) Disqualification of Members by the Chairman. The Chairman of the Board, on his or her own motion, may disqualify a Member from acting in an appeal on the grounds set forth in paragraph (a) of this section and in those cases where a Member is unable or unwilling to act.

38 C.F.R. § 20.108 Rule 108. Delegation of authority to Chairman and Vice Chairman, Board of Veterans' Appeals.

The Chairman and/or Vice Chairman have authority delegated by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (a) Approve the assumption of appellate jurisdiction of an adjudicative determination which has not become final in order to grant a benefit, and (b) Order VA Central Office investigations of matters before the Board.

38 C.F.R. § 20.109 Rule 109. Delegation of authority to Vice Chairman, Deputy Vice Chairmen, or Members of the Board.

(a) The authority exercised by the Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals described in Rules 106(b) and 107(b) (§§ 20.106(b) and 20.107(b)) may also be exercised by the Vice Chairman of the Board. (b) The authority exercised by the Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals described in Rules 1004 and 1002(c) (§§ 20.1004 and 20.1002(c)) may also be exercised by the Vice Chairman of the Board and by Deputy Vice Chairmen of the Board. (c) The authority exercised by the Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals described in Rule 2 (§ 20.2), may also be exercised by the Vice Chairman of the Board; by Deputy Vice Chairmen of the Board; and, in connection with a proceeding or motion assigned to them by the Chairman, by a Member or Members of the Board.

38 C.F.R. § 20.110 Rule 110. Computation of time limit for filing.

(a) Acceptance of postmark date. When these Rules require that any written document be filed within a specified period of time, a response postmarked prior to expiration of the applicable time limit will be accepted as having been timely filed. In the event that the postmark is not of record, the postmark date will be presumed to be five days prior to the date of receipt of the document by the Department of Veterans Affairs. In calculating this 5-day period, Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays will be excluded. (b) Computation of time limit. In computing the time limit for filing a written document, the first day of the specified period will be excluded and the last day included. Where the time limit would expire on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the next succeeding workday will be included in the computation.

38 C.F.R. § 20.111 Rule 111. Legal holidays.

For the purpose of Rule 110 (§ 20.110), the legal holidays, in addition to any other day appointed as a holiday by the President or the Congress of the United States, are as follows: New Year's Day—January 1; Inauguration Day—January 20 of every fourth year or, if the 20th falls on a Sunday, the next succeeding day selected for public observance of the inauguration; Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.—Third Monday in January; Washington's Birthday—Third Monday in February; Memorial Day—Last Monday in May; Independence Day—July 4; Labor Day—First Monday in September; Columbus Day—Second Monday in October; Veterans Day—November 11; Thanksgiving Day—Fourth Thursday in November; and Christmas Day—December 25. When a holiday occurs on a Saturday, the Friday immediately before is the legal public holiday. When a holiday occurs on a Sunday, the Monday immediately after is the legal public holiday.