Step Three: File Your Appeal

Now that you have completed the Court’s forms, you need to file your appeal.
 

You must mail, fax or email the Notice of Appeal and mail your $50 filing fee or mail, fax or email the Notice of Appeal and the Declaration of Financial Hardship to:
 

Clerk of the Court
U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
625 Indiana Avenue, N.W., Suite 900
Washington, D.C. 20004-2950
Phone: (202) 501-5970
Fax: (202) 501-5848
Email: [email protected]
 

If you are mailing your form(s), you must mail the original Notice of Appeal and the original Declaration of Financial Hardship. Remember, if you are asking the Court to waive the $50 filing fee, you must submit a Declaration of Financial Hardship within 14 days of sending your Notice of Appeal if you do not send it at the same time as your Notice of Appeal.
 

If you are paying the $50 nonrefundable filing fee, pay by check or money order payable to the “U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims”. In the alternative, you can pay the fee electronically, using pay.gov. This must be done after the appeal is filed, as you will need your new docket number the Court will give you.
 

If you are faxing, you may fax your forms to 202-501-5848 and you must call the Court to confirm they received your fax. Emailed pleadings must be in separate PDF files. So, if you are emailing your Notice of Appeal and a Declaration of Financial Hardship, you must attach these as separate PDF documents.
 

If you need assistance with any of these forms, you may contact The Veterans Consortium Helpline at 855-446-9678 or [email protected] and they will be happy to assist you. You may also send your forms to The Veterans Consortium Helpline via fax or email (202-628-8169 or [email protected]) and they can electronically send them to the Court for you and get an automatic confirmation to give to you that it was received.
 

Remember, your Declaration of Financial Hardship must be received by the Court no later than 14 days after you send your Notice of Appeal.

 

 

Close to the deadline?


Remember, your Notice of Appeal must be received by the Court no later than 120 days after the date on which the Board mailed the notice of decision. This is the date stamped/shown on the front of the BVA’s decision.
 

If you are getting close to the deadline, you can simply print your name, address and telephone number on a piece of paper and write: “I want to appeal my BVA decision dated ________.”
 

Then mail, fax or email that paper to the Court. The postmark will be the filing date, so do not use FEDEX or UPS under these circumstances.


 

Reminder!
 

If you fax it into the Court, make sure to call and confirm they received it!

 

 


This resource is generously supported by:

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Source URL: https://www.statesidelegal.org/step-four-choosing-pro-bono-program