The seven-question review test

1. What exact written decision or record are you challenging?
2. Who made it?
3. What authority gives someone else power to review it?
4. What is the deadline and triggering date?
5. Can you submit new evidence, or is review limited to the existing record?
6. What remedy can this reviewer actually grant?
7. Must another administrative remedy be exhausted first?

Common lanes

Problem	Typical review lane
VA benefits decision	Supplemental Claim, Higher-Level Review, or Board Appeal depending on evidence posture and issue
TRICARE denial	TRICARE factual, medical-necessity, pharmacy or other designated appeal lane
Military pay debt	Debt validity protest/audit; waiver or remission only if that is the actual requested remedy
Personnel record error/injustice	Service-specific correction first, then BCMR/BCNR when appropriate
Qualifying discharge review	Discharge Review Board/DD Form 293 or correction board/DD Form 149 depending on timing and jurisdiction
Security eligibility denial/revocation	DCSA/DOHA/PSAB personnel-security due-process route

Deadline discipline

Never assume that a complaint, congressional inquiry, IG submission, records request or request for informal assistance stops an appeal deadline. Unless the governing authority says otherwise, preserve and calendar the formal review deadline independently.

Review file: complete decision, notice of rights, evidence considered, evidence excluded or newly discovered, prior submissions, proof of receipt, chronology, governing authority and the precise relief requested.

Official sources

• VA — Decision Reviews and Appeals
• TRICARE — Appeals
• DFAS — Waivers and Remissions
• DoD — DD Form 149
• DoD — DD Form 293
• DCSA — Trust Decision Adjudications

Source status: SRC-004; SRC-034; SRC-055; SRC-064; SRC-069; SRC-074 verified October 4, 2026. Use the current decision notice and service-specific procedure when it is more specific than this navigation guide.