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Veterans Justice Clinic - Spring 2023

URL: https://libguides.law.ucla.edu/veteransclinicspring23

VA Manuals

M21-1 Adjudication Procedures Manual.  U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs.  An indispensable resource for understanding VA policies and procedures used by Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) staff in adjudicating veterans' benefits claims.  Continuously updated.  (Additional information about the importance of this manual can be found in the treatise Veterans Benefits Manual, at section 12.1.3, "The RO’s “Bible”: VA Adjudication Procedures Manual M21-1.") 

M21-5 Appeals and Reviews. U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs.  A new manual, created by the VA in 2019.  According to the Introduction, the M21-5 manual "serves as a general guide for processing legacy appeals for compensation and higher-level reviews (HLRs) under the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA). ... The purpose of the M21-5 is to summarize or restate in plain language the applicable law, clarify any ambiguities, and provide a picture of the adjudication process that is reasonably complete and easy to understand and apply."