How Long Does a BVA Appeal Take?

The Board of Veterans' Appeals does not publish a wait time for your case. But every decision records when the appeal started and when the Board decided it. We measured that gap across published decisions to show how long appeals take, by year, by appeal lane, and by condition. These figures describe decided cases. They do not predict any individual appeal.

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The Board's own timeliness targets (AMA)

The Board aims to decide AMA appeals in these average times: Direct Review 365 days, Evidence Submission 550 days, Hearing 730 days. These are averages the Board works toward, not limits on any one case.

Board of Veterans' Appeals Annual Report, FY2024

Outcome by hearing format (FY2024)

Among cases decided after a hearing in FY2024, the allowance rate was 48% for virtual tele-hearings, 42% for video hearings held at a regional office, and 32% for in-person hearings at the Board's Central Office. This is a descriptive difference only. The mix of cases differs by format, so it is not evidence that the format itself changes the outcome.

Board of Veterans' Appeals Annual Report, FY2024

Common questions

Is this how long my appeal will take?
No. These figures describe how long appeals that the Board already decided took. Your timeline depends on your lane, whether you request a hearing, whether the Board remands the case, and the Board's current workload. Treat these as context, not a forecast.
Why is the most recent year lower than expected?
Recent years only include appeals that the Board already decided. The longest-pending appeals from those years are still open, so we do not count them. We call this right-censoring. It pulls the most recent year down.
Why are legacy and AMA shown separately?
They are two different systems. Legacy appeals (before the 2019 Appeals Modernization Act) ran through a Notice of Disagreement, Statement of the Case, and VA Form 9. Current AMA appeals go to the Board directly on a VA Form 10182 in one of three lanes. The processes are not comparable, so we never trend across the 2019 boundary as one line.
Which AMA lane is fastest?
By design, Direct Review (no new evidence, no hearing) is the quickest, Evidence Submission adds a 90-day evidence window, and the Hearing lane waits for a Board hearing. The lane comparison above shows the measured medians.

Related Tools and Guides

BVA Decision Search
Search the full index of published Board decisions.
BVA Insights
Grant rates, evidence patterns, and what moves a Board decision.
Board Hearing Guide
What to expect from a Board hearing and which lane it sits in.
Appeal Lanes
Higher-Level Review, Supplemental Claim, and Board Appeal compared.

Sources: RateMyVSO index of published Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions. We measure wait from the appeal start date to the Board decision date. The start date is the VA Form 10182 receipt date encoded in the AMA docket number, or the appealed rating-decision date stated in legacy decisions. These figures describe decided appeals in aggregate. Recent years are right-censored. They do not predict any individual claim and are not legal advice. For help with your appeal, find a VA-accredited representative.