There is no fixed, guaranteed timeframe for receiving a decision after a Higher-Level Review (HLR) informal conference. Under 38 CFR 3.2601, the HLR lane allows a veteran or representative to request an informal conference with the Decision Review Officer or higher-level reviewer assigned to the case. During that call, no new evidence is submitted — the reviewer is limited to the evidence that was already of record at the time of the prior decision, though the conversation can help clarify why certain evidence, such as a VR&E counselor's opinion, may have been overlooked or mischaracterized.
Some veterans do report getting a decision within days of the conference, especially if the case is straightforward or the error is clear-cut (for example, evidence in the file that was simply not addressed in the original rating decision). Others wait weeks or longer, because the reviewer may need to draft a new rating decision, coordinate with a rating specialist, or the regional office may simply have a backlog. VA does not publish a standard turnaround time for HLR decisions after a conference, and outcomes vary by regional office workload and complexity of the case, so it's reasonable to expect anywhere from a few days to several weeks, with no way to predict it precisely for any individual claim.
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 |
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Analyze my claim free →On representation: a veteran can be represented at an HLR informal conference by anyone properly accredited for VA claims — an accredited Veterans Service Officer (VSO), a State Service Officer, a VA-accredited attorney, or a claims agent. There is no rule limiting the conference to the original VSO who has handled the case; switching to a State Service Officer, or having them sit in alongside the current VSO, is permissible as long as the proper accreditation and representation paperwork (such as VA Form 21-22 or 21-22a) is on file before the conference. Whether an SSO is genuinely more effective often comes down to that individual's specific experience with HLR conferences and TDIU evidence, not a formal difference in authority between VSOs and SSOs.
The concrete next step is to confirm which representative will attend the conference with an updated VA Form 21-22/21-22a on file before Tuesday, and to have the VR&E counselor's letter and its page/date location in the claims file ready to reference during the call.
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