White paper

White Paper
Non-Substantive Changes: VA Form 20-0995 & 20-0996
July 29, 2022
Issue
The Office of Administrative Review (OAR) owns VA Form 20-0995, Decision Review
Request: Supplemental Claim, and VA Form 20-0996, Decision Review Request:
Higher-Level Review. OAR proposes non-substantive content changes to these forms,
that require a review by the Office of Management & Budget.
Purpose
This white paper provides an explanation of the proposed non-substantive changes to
the VA Form 20-0995 and VA Form 20-0996.
Discussion
VA Form 20-0995 will now include a website to provide the Veteran, or claimant, with
information of the evidence needed to decide their pension, dependency and indemnity
compensation or accrued benefit claim. The form now includes this website in Part IV of
the instructions section and Part IV of the VA Form. This change does not increase the
burden to the Veteran, or claimant.
Other non-substantive changes have been made to both the VA Form 20-0995 and VA
Form 20-0996 to align with the Board of Veterans’ Appeals VA Form 10182, Notice of
Disagreement, to remove an opt-in box that advised Veterans, or claimants, they could
opt into a decision review from a pending legacy appeal. OAR instead included
explanatory wording both within the form and in the instructions to outline the opt-in
process to the Veteran or claimant. These changes provide the Veteran with the same
information but remove the need to check an opt-in box. The changes do not increase
the burden to the Veteran, or claimant.
Recommended Action
Approve the updated forms to reflect the recommended non-substantive changes.
Signature
Michael Bell, Management & Program Analyst, Publications Control Officer (PCO)
MICHAEL
EDSALL

Digitally signed by MICHAEL
EDSALL
Date: 2022.08.17 13:53:37
-04'00'

Mike Edsall, Assistant Director, Office of Administrative Review (OAR)