Sentence:  The recommendation of the Department - as well as the decision of the <WSD>appeal</WSD> board - was based entirely on the local board file , not on an FBI report . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  (law) a legal proceeding in which the appellant resorts to a higher court for the purpose of obtaining a review of a lower court decision and a reversal of the lower court's judgment or the granting of a new trial