A decision letter that claims you failed to report for an exam, when you actually attended, is an administrative error that can and should be corrected. Under 38 CFR 3.655, if VA determines a claimant failed without good cause to report for a scheduled exam, it can decide the claim based on the evidence of record, which often results in a denial for lack of evidence. If that happened to you in error, you have documentation working in your favor: exam confirmation notices, sign-in records at the exam facility, and especially a mileage reimbursement check from the scheduler, since VA only issues travel pay for exams actually attended. That reimbursement record is strong, concrete proof that undercuts the "failed to report" finding.
The appropriate path depends on timing. If you are still within one year of the decision, filing a Supplemental Claim (VA Form 20-0995) with the new and relevant evidence, the mileage reimbursement documentation, exam facility records, or a statement from the examiner's office, is usually the fastest way to force VA to correct the record and re-adjudicate using the duty-to-assist standard under 38 CFR 3.159. Alternatively, if you believe the error was clear on its face at the time of the decision, you could argue clear and unmistakable error (CUE), though CUE has a high bar and is harder to win than a straightforward supplemental claim with new evidence.
Official 2026 VA monthly compensation, including the 2.8% COLA increase.
Dependent add-ons start at a 30% rating. Child-only and dependent-parent rates: see the full 2026 pay chart.
| Rating | Monthly (2026, incl. 2.8% COLA) |
|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 |
| 20% | $356.66 |
| 30% | $552.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 |
Does your rating decision hold up under a real audit?
Upload your decision letter and C&P exams — VetAid's analyzer reads the full file, checks every examiner statement word-for-word against your records, and shows which arguments for a higher rating actually hold. Free, and we never take a cut of your back pay.
Analyze my claim free →The second issue, a claimed condition that received no decision at all, is a separate problem. VA is required to adjudicate every claimed issue; silence is not a valid outcome. This could mean the condition was inadvertently severed from the HLR, is still pending in a different work queue, or was simply overlooked. You should request a status check through a VSO, Decision Ready Claims unit, or by contacting the regional office directly to find out whether that condition is still open, was deferred, or needs to be re-filed as a separate issue.
Because your current VSO has not responded, consider contacting a different accredited representative, a VSO chapter, or a private accredited attorney or claims agent in the meantime, since response delays can cost you appeal windows. As a concrete next step, file a Supplemental Claim (VA Form 20-0995) attaching the mileage reimbursement proof and any exam attendance documentation, and in the same filing or a separate inquiry, ask VA in writing to confirm the status of the omitted condition.
Need a deeper analysis?
Our AI checks your situation against outcome data from 1,900,000+ Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) decisions (1992–2025).
Analyze Your Claim FreeVetAid is a free veterans claims tool, not a VA-accredited representative — it does not file anything with VA for you, and it works alongside your accredited VSO, claims agent or attorney. About VetAid