Supplemental Claims
You can file a Supplemental Claim to add new evidence that’s relevant to your case—or identify new evidence you want us to gather for you. A reviewer will determine whether the new evidence changes the decision.
Filing a Supplemental Claim for PACT Act-related conditions
If we denied your claim in the past but we now consider your condition presumptive, we encourage you to file a Supplemental Claim. We’ll review the claim again.
Can I file a Supplemental Claim?
In order to file a Supplemental Claim, you must add evidence that is new (or not provided to VA previously) and relevant to your case. You can file a Supplemental Claim anytime, but we recommend you file within one year from the date on your decision letter.
Note: You can’t file a Supplemental Claim if you have a fiduciary claim or a contested claim.
How long does a Supplemental Claim take?
Our goal for completing Supplemental Claims is an average of 125 days (4 to 5 months).
What’s “new and relevant” evidence?
The evidence you submit with your claim must be both new and relevant.
- New means that we didn’t have this evidence before our last decision.
- Relevant means that it can prove or disprove something in your claim.
You can submit evidence yourself or ask us to get evidence for you. Evidence could include medical records from a VA medical center, another federal health facility, or your private health care provider.
We can’t accept your Supplemental Claim without new and relevant evidence.
How do I file a Supplemental Claim with new evidence?
To file a Supplemental Claim, fill out the Decision Review Request: Supplemental Claim (VA Form 20-0995).
-
Select a benefit type in Part I on the form
The most common benefit type is compensation. If you’re unsure, check your VA decision. You can’t select multiple benefit types. You must complete a separate form for each type.
-
List the issues you want us to review in Part II on the form
You can include all or just some of the issues we decided in our last decision. You must list the issues you disagree with and the VA decision date.
-
Gather new and relevant evidence to submit
You must add new and relevant evidence (supporting documents) or identify evidence you’d like us to gather for review.
We can help you gather evidence from a VA medical center, other federal facility, or your private health care provider.
For evidence at a VA or other federal facility
List the locations of VA evidence in Part III. For more details, see the instructions for completing the form.For evidence at a private or non-VA provider, like a private doctor or hospital
If you want us to gather your evidence from a private provider, fill out and sign VA Form 21-4142. Be sure to include it with your Supplemental Claim form (VA Form 20-0995).Get VA Form 21-4142 to download
What if I don’t have any new and relevant evidence?
If you don’t have evidence to submit, please select another decision review option. -
Apply
Fill out the Decision Review Request: Supplemental Claim (VA Form 20-0995).
Get VA Form 20-0995 to download
Submit your application by mail or in person.
By mail
Send the completed form and any supporting documents to the VA regional office that matches the benefit type you selected on the form.
Compensation
Department of Veterans Affairs
Claims Intake Center
PO Box 4444
Janesville, WI 53547-4444In person
Bring your completed form and any supporting documents to a VA regional office.Find a VA regional office near you
You can also ask a regional office for a copy of this form to fill out. Or you can call the VA toll-free hotline at 800-827-1000, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET, to request a form.
Pension/Survivors benefits
If you live in AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, IA, KS, MN, MT, NE, NV, NM, ND, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WY, Mexico, Central America, South America, or the Caribbean
Department of Veterans Affairs
Claims Intake Center
Attention: St. Paul Pension Center
PO Box 5365
Janesville, WI 53547-5365
Pension/Survivors benefits
If you live in CT, DE, FL, GA, ME, MD, MA, NH, NJ, NY, NC, PA, RI, SC, VT, VA, WV, DC, Puerto Rico, or Canada
Department of Veterans Affairs
Claims Intake Center
Attention: Philadelphia Pension Center
PO Box 5206
Janesville, WI 53547-5206
Pension/Survivors benefits
If you live in AL, AR, IL, IN, KY, LA, MI, MS, MO, OH, TN, or WI
Department of Veterans Affairs
Claims Intake Center
Attention: Milwaukee Pension Center
PO Box 5192
Janesville, WI 53547-5192
National Cemetery Administration
Please refer to your
decision for instructions
on how to submit the
form.
Education
Please refer to your
decision for instructions
on how to submit the
form.
Veterans Health Administration
Please refer to your
decision for instructions
on how to submit the
form.
Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E)
Please refer to your
decision for instructions
on how to submit the
form.
Insurance
Please refer to your
decision for instructions
on how to submit the
form.
Loan guaranty
Please refer to your
decision for instructions
on how to submit the
form.
What happens next?
Find out what happens after you request a decision review
You don’t need to do anything while you’re waiting unless VA sends you a letter asking for more information. If VA schedules exams for you, be sure not to miss them.
If you’ve filed a request for a Supplemental Claim, we may randomly select you to receive an email with a short, optional survey. If selected, you’ll get a survey within 10 days of the date on your notification letter. You aren’t required to fill it out, but your feedback will help us improve the new decision reviews process. It takes about 3 minutes to answer the questions. Please review your VA.gov profile to make sure we have your most recent email address.
What if I need help?
A Veterans Service Organization or VA-accredited attorney or agent can help you request a decision review.
Get help requesting a decision review
What if I have more questions?
Get answers to frequently asked questions about decision reviews.
What if I get a Supplemental Claim decision that I don’t agree with?
You can then request a Higher-Level Review of the Supplemental Claim decision, or file for a Board Appeal, which means your case gets reviewed by a Veterans Law Judge. You may also file another Supplemental Claim if you have additional evidence you want to submit for review.