Appeals: VRB first, then the Administrative Review Tribunal

The dispute, in order

1. 1Read the rights paragraph on the decision letter before you read anything else. That paragraph is the clock. It is not the same on every letter.
2. 2Veterans’ Review Board (VRB). For most compensation decisions this is the first review outside DVA. No fee. Informal. You do not need a lawyer. It looks at the merits, and new medical evidence is often the point. You do not skip the Board and start at a court.
3. 3Administrative Review Tribunal (ART). Only if you still disagree after the VRB decision. It replaced the AAT in October 2024. It is more formal. DVA says 3 months from a VRB decision. That is three calendar months, not 90 days. If the date on the notice and the date you received it differ, lodge by the earlier expiry.
4. 4Stop if there is no decision yet. A delay is not an appeal. CDDA and an Ombudsman complaint are not VRB matters. Those are different pages on this site.

Veterans’ Review Board

The VRB is the first external review for most compensation decisions. It is informal, no fee, and you do not need a lawyer. You can apply via the VRB Justice Portal, email, post, or phone. Take an advocate if you can. The VRB looks at the merits — it can stand in DVA’s shoes. New medical evidence is not only allowed, it is often the whole point.

• Put the decision date and claim number on the application.
• Say what you want changed (liability accepted, a higher GARP M rating, a different date of effect).
• Attach the treating specialist report that DVA discounted, and a short table: DVA rating / specialist rating / table descriptor.
• If DVA overrode a specialist without a qualified medical opinion, say that as a fact about the file, not as an insult.

Administrative Review Tribunal

The ART replaced the AAT in October 2024. For most veterans’ matters you go to the VRB first, then the ART if you still disagree. ART is more formal. No fee for VEA/DRCA/MRCA reviews. DVA’s wording (updated 3 July 2026): “For ART appeals, you have 3 months from a VRB decision.” That is three calendar months, not 90 days. ART has discretion out to 12 months; late lodgement can affect backdating. Apply through the ART site. Get advice before you turn a winnable VRB medical dispute into a full tribunal fight you cannot resource.

What not to appeal to VRB

CDDA is not a VRB matter. Ombudsman complaints are not a VRB matter. A live delay with no decision yet has nothing to review — force a decision, or complain. Some contact-restriction / SPOC decisions may have a different review path; check the letter.