So you filed a Notice of Disagreement and you were denied again on your claim. What do you do now? The decision you received after filing a Notice of Disagreement is called a Statement of the Case, or SOC for short. A VA Form 9 [or simply called a VA9] is \an appeal filed after this decision. The decision you receive after filing the VA Form 9 is a Supplemental Statement of the Case or SSOC. This decision looks very similar to the Statement of the Case. It is very important to appeal both decisions in a timely manner by filing the VA9.
The SOC and SSOC are decisions made by the Decision Review Officer at your VA regional office. You only have 60 days after receiving a SOC and 30 days after an SSOC to file the VA9. It is very important to fill out the form correctly, too. On the form, it requests your basic information, such as your name, claim number, social security number, mailing address, and phone number. Below your personal information, it will then ask what type of hearing you would like. You can choose not to go to a hearing, have one by live videoconference, go to an in-person hearing at your local VA Regional Office, or attend a hearing in Washington, DC where the Board of the Veterans Appeals [BVA for short] is located. After the type of hearing is selected, it is then important to list the issues you would like to pursue in the box below.
It is very important to understand that the VA Form 9 must be filed in a timely manner after receiving a SOC or SSOC. If the VA9 is not filed before the deadline, then your claims will be considered as “closed” and you will have to start from the beginning of the process. Our staff at Jan Dils, Attorneys at Law is very experienced with filing VA9s and will ensure that they are filed correctly and promptly after receiving your SOC or SSOC. If you have questions in regards to VA Form 9s, please don’t hesitate to call us: 1-877-526-3457, or tell us about your claim now.
