Change Date July 27, 2015 a. Requirement for Receipt of a Substantive Appeal Before Scheduling Travel or Video Hearings A substantive appeal must be by an appellant or his/her accredited representative before a Travel Board or video hearing is scheduled. If the appellant requests a Travel or video hearing before a substantive appeal is received, return the request to the appellant explain to the appellant the requirement for a substantive appeal, and do not update Veterans Appeals Control and Locator System (VACOLS). Reference: For more information on what constitutes a substantive appeal, see M21-1, Part I, 5.E.1.b. b. Receiving and Responding to a Timely Hearing Request When a timely Travel or video hearing request is received, update the VACOLS Travel Board list by clicking on the TRAVEL BOARD button and performing the following actions: enter the date of receipt of the travel board request indicate whether the case is for a hearing indicate whether a video hearing was requested, and update the representative information, if necessary, and respond to the appellant by acknowledging his/her request by sending the letter containing the text in M21-1, Part I, 5.H.4 advising him/her if the hearing cannot be included on the current Travel Board hearing docket by sending the letter shown in M21-1, Part I, 5.H.5, and advising him/her of the availability of a video hearing if the request was for a Travel Board hearing. Notes: If a hearing request was not properly date-stamped when it was received, use the next best evidence, such as a postmark date. The Board of Veterans’ Appeals (BVA) forwards any hearing requests it receives to the station of origination (SOO). The date of receipt is the date the request was received in a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facility. In order to remind appellants of their option for a video hearing, which can usually be held sooner than a Travel Board hearing, Compensation Service sends the letter referenced in this block on a quarterly basis to appellants awaiting a Travel Board hearing. Reference: For more information on maintaining the Travel Board hearing docket, see , and the .
c. Maintaining the VACOLS Travel Board List ROs must maintain a list of all requests for Travel Board and video hearings in VACOLS, according to the instructions in the table below. When the … Then … appeal is ready for a BVA (Travel Board or video) hearing check the box labeled Ready for Travel Board? on the REQUEST TRAVEL BOARD screen. request is for a hearing check the box labeled Video Hearing Request on the REQUEST TRAVEL BOARD screen, and ensure that a waiver of the in-person Travel hearing is signed by the appellant, and included in the claims folder. hearing is held select H – Held in the DISPOSITION field on the RO HEARING DETAIL screen. Note: If the appellant failed to appear for the hearing, select N – No Show. request is withdrawn select C – Canceled by Vet in the DISPOSITION field on the RO HEARING DETAIL screen. Notes: ROs must ensure the VACOLS Travel Board list is updated and reviewed monthly for accuracy. BVA is responsible for determining the dates it will hold video and Travel Board hearings. ROs are responsible for scheduling the specific for individual video and Travel Board hearings. Reference: For more information on the responsibility of ROs to maintain the Travel Board list, see , or updating VACOLS, see the .