Supplemental claim

A supplemental claim is one of the three decision review options available after a VA claim decision. It is the path for evidence: the veteran submits or identifies new and relevant evidence the VA did not have when it decided the claim, and the VA reviews the issue again with that evidence in the record. It is filed on VA Form 20-0995.

New and relevant is the standard: evidence not previously part of the record that tends to prove or disprove a matter in the claim. The duty to assist applies in supplemental claims, so the VA will again help obtain records the veteran identifies. Filing within one year of the prior decision generally preserves the original effective date, a detail with real consequences that belongs in a conversation with the veteran's representative.

Which review option fits a given decision is claims work: the veteran decides it with their accredited representative or VSO, and the free VSO route is always among the options.