Quick answer
A CHAMPVA Supplemental Claim is a current VA decision-review option to use when you disagree with a CHAMPVA payment decision or eligibility determination and you have new and relevant evidence for VA to consider, or when you are asking VA to review the issue because of a change in law.
Current VA family-member guidance says:
- New evidence is information VA has not considered before.
- Relevant evidence is information that proves or disproves something in the claim.
- Unless the request is based on a change in law, the Supplemental Claim must include or identify new and relevant evidence to be complete.
- Supplemental Claims may be submitted anytime.
- The required form is VA Form 20-0995, Decision Review Request: Supplemental Claim.
For CHAMPVA and other family-member programs, VA's current decision-review page directs Supplemental Claims to:
VFMP Appeals
PO Box 600
Spring City, PA 19475
Do not use a Supplemental Claim merely because VA asked for missing paperwork, an Other Health Insurance (OHI) EOB, or proof of payment. VA specifically says those items can be submitted without requesting a decision review.
First decide whether you actually need a Supplemental Claim
The fastest way to choose the right path is to identify what VA did with the claim or eligibility application.
| Situation | Usually the right next step |
|---|---|
| VA asks for missing documents, an OHI EOB, or proof of payment | Send the requested information; a decision review is not required |
| VA made a payment decision or eligibility determination you disagree with, and you have new and relevant evidence | Consider a Supplemental Claim |
| You disagree with a payment decision but want VA to review the existing record without adding new evidence | A Higher-Level Review may be the better review lane |
| You want review by a Veterans Law Judge | A Board Appeal is a separate review option |
| VA denied preauthorization for care that has not yet occurred | Use the family-member clinical preauthorization appeal process, not the ordinary Supplemental Claim path |
VA allows only one decision-review option at a time for the same issue.
If the problem is simply incomplete claim documentation, see How to Resubmit a CHAMPVA Claim With Missing Information. If you are still trying to identify why a claim was not paid, start with Why CHAMPVA Claims Are Denied or Delayed—and What to Do.
What “new and relevant evidence” means
For a Supplemental Claim, the evidence must be both new and relevant unless the review is based on a change in law.
New evidence
VA's current family-member guidance defines new evidence as information that has not been considered before.
Examples could include:
- a medical record that was not part of the earlier decision and directly addresses the reason VA denied the claim;
- an eligibility document VA had not previously considered;
- a provider statement or other record that addresses a factual issue identified in the decision.
Simply resending the same material without explaining why it changes the issue does not make it new.
Relevant evidence
Relevant evidence is information that proves or disproves something in the claim. The evidence should connect to the reason for the unfavorable decision.
For example, if VA denied a claim because the record did not establish medical necessity, a new record discussing the medical need for the service may be relevant. If the dispute is an eligibility determination, a new document establishing a qualifying relationship or status may be relevant.
Do not send large amounts of unrelated material. A focused submission that identifies the disputed issue and connects each new record to that issue is easier to review.
You can identify records for VA to obtain
VA Form 20-0995 says a claimant may either submit new and relevant evidence or identify relevant records for VA to obtain. The form explains that VA will attempt to obtain adequately identified federal records and will make reasonable efforts to obtain adequately identified non-federal records when the necessary authorization is provided.
If the Supplemental Claim is based on a change in law, VA's current instructions state that the usual new-and-relevant-evidence requirement does not apply in the same way.
How to complete VA Form 20-0995 for CHAMPVA
Use the current version of VA Form 20-0995. VA's form page currently lists the revision date as May 2024.
1. Identify the benefit type
VA Form 20-0995 includes Veterans Health Administration (VHA) as a benefit type and asks you to specify the VHA benefit involved. Identify CHAMPVA clearly so the request can be routed correctly.
2. Complete the claimant information
If the CHAMPVA claimant is not the Veteran, complete the claimant section that asks for the non-Veteran claimant's identifying information and relationship to the Veteran.
3. List every issue you want reviewed
The form asks you to identify each issue VA previously decided that you want reviewed as a Supplemental Claim and, when possible, the date of the decision notice.
Only the issues you identify on the form are included in that Supplemental Claim review, so use the decision letter or EOB to describe the disputed issue accurately.
4. Attach or identify the new and relevant evidence
For each issue, include the evidence you want VA to consider or identify the records you want VA to obtain. A short cover note can help explain:
- what decision you disagree with;
- what the new evidence is;
- why the evidence is relevant to the reason VA gave for the decision.
Do not substitute a Supplemental Claim for a simple response to a request for missing information.
5. Sign the form and keep a complete copy
Make a copy of the signed form, the evidence, and the decision notice or EOB you used to identify the issue. Keeping the full submission together makes later follow-up much easier.
6. Send the CHAMPVA request to the current family-member appeals address
VA's current family-member decision-review page directs Supplemental Claims to:
VFMP Appeals
PO Box 600
Spring City, PA 19475
The general VA Form 20-0995 contains submission instructions for several different VA benefit types. For a CHAMPVA request, use the current CHAMPVA/family-member program instructions and your decision notice rather than assuming an address for another VA benefit applies.
Is there a deadline for a CHAMPVA Supplemental Claim?
There is an important distinction between whether VA will accept a Supplemental Claim and whether waiting can affect other rights or the effective date of a resulting award.
VA's current family-member decision-review page says Supplemental Claims may be submitted anytime.
The CHAMPVA Guidebook also warns that when a Supplemental Claim is filed after an applicable time limit for seeking review, the effective date for any resulting award of benefits will generally be tied to the date VA receives the Supplemental Claim. The current VA Form 20-0995 likewise contains timing rules tied to preserving the earliest possible effective date for some VA benefit decisions.
So “may be submitted anytime” should not be read as “timing never matters.” If you received a decision notice with a review deadline, act promptly and follow the instructions in that notice.
Why 38 CFR § 17.277 can be confusing
The current regulation at 38 CFR § 17.277 begins by stating that the section applies only to legacy claims. It then describes the older CHAMPVA reconsideration and review sequence.
That legacy language should not be treated as the sole instruction for a modern CHAMPVA decision. VA's current family-member program guidance uses the modern decision-review framework—including Supplemental Claims, Higher-Level Reviews, and Board Appeals—and identifies VA Form 20-0995 for a Supplemental Claim.
The practical rule is: use the current VA family-member decision-review instructions and the notice VA sent for the decision you are challenging. The legacy regulation still matters for claims that actually fall within the legacy system.
A practical Supplemental Claim checklist
Before mailing the request, confirm that you have:
- the current VA Form 20-0995;
- the CHAMPVA claimant's identifying information;
- each disputed issue and, when possible, the date of the VA decision;
- new and relevant evidence for each issue, or enough information for VA to identify and obtain the evidence;
- a short explanation connecting the evidence to the reason for the decision;
- any authorization VA needs to request private records;
- the claimant or authorized representative's required signature;
- a complete copy of everything submitted for your records.
If VA only requested missing documentation, an OHI EOB, or proof of payment, stop before filing a review and respond to that request instead.
What to do when the decision involves eligibility, a medical claim, or preauthorization
The review path can change depending on what VA decided.
- Eligibility determination: A Supplemental Claim may be appropriate when you disagree and have new and relevant evidence. For a broader decision tree, see What to Do If CHAMPVA Says You're Not Eligible.
- Medical claim or payment decision: First identify the exact denial or adjustment on the EOB. How to Read a CHAMPVA Explanation of Benefits can help separate a true adverse decision from a request for more information.
- Preauthorization: VA uses a separate clinical appeal process for preauthorization determinations involving services that have not yet occurred. Retroactive authorization issues after care has already occurred follow the family-member decision-review process. See Missed CHAMPVA Preauthorization: What Happens Next?.
When the notice is unclear, identify the exact decision, the reason VA gave, and whether you have new evidence before choosing a review lane.