If I submit a withdrawal request for my Higher-Level Review but the VA still holds the informal conference, will my claim still be withdrawn?

When you request a Higher-Level Review (HLR) through VA Form 20-0996, you have the right to withdraw that request at any point before a decision is issued, under 38 CFR 3.2500 and the general withdrawal provisions that apply to the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA) review lanes. However, submitting a withdrawal request does not automatically or instantly remove your claim from the DRO's active workload. The Decision Review Officer or rating team processes documents in the order they are received and reviewed, and if the withdrawal is uploaded close in time to a scheduled informal conference, it is common for the interview to proceed simply because the file was not updated or flagged before the call took place.

Once an informal conference has already occurred and the DRO has reviewed the evidence, the DRO will typically proceed to finalize whatever decision is supported by the record, unless the withdrawal is unambiguous and time-stamped before that decision is signed and promulgated. In practice, if a written withdrawal is sitting in the file but the DRO already conducted the interview and indicated they intend to issue a favorable finding, the outcome often depends on whether the withdrawal document is reviewed before or after the decision is authorized in the system. If the decision is finalized first, the withdrawal request effectively becomes moot for that phase of review, and the favorable decision stands. If the withdrawal is processed first, the HLR could be closed without a decision, even if the interview suggested a good outcome.

There is no fixed rule guaranteeing which action VA will take first when both documents exist in the file at the same time; this comes down to internal processing order and DRO judgment, not automatic system logic. Veterans in this situation cannot rely on VA to interpret intent beyond what is documented, so any ambiguity should be resolved directly with the DRO or the point of contact for the review.

If you want to reverse your withdrawal and let the favorable decision proceed, the most reliable step is to contact the DRO or the Decision Review Operations Center directly, ideally by phone, and explicitly state that you wish to rescind the withdrawal request and continue seeking a decision through the HLR process, then follow up with a written confirmation for the record.