Ratliff v. Shinseki

Ratliff v. Shinseki, docket no. 11-3243 (Vet. App. Sept. 11, 2013) (order)
A written expression of disagreement with a Board decision that is filed with a VA regional office during the 120-day appeal period will abate the finality of that Board decision for the purposes of appealing to the Court until (1) VA determines that the written disagreement is a Notice of Appeal (NOA) and returns it to the claimant with information on the proper location or forwards it to the Veterans Court; (2) the Board Chairman determines the status of the written disagreement and notifies the claimant; or (3) the claimant files an NOA with the Court after filing a written disagreement with the RO, and the Court determines that the written disagreement was a misfiled NOA.