New and material evidence is a term used in the old veterans disability appeals process, commonly referred to as the legacy system, in which there is only one route to appeal. This type of evidence is required to support and prove your claim with the VA.
To be considered “new,” the evidence must not have been included in the original claim when the previous decision about your case was made. Material evidence is evidence that, when standing alone or when added to the original information, can be enough to prove your case to be truthful or factual.
If you filed your claim after Feb. 19, 2019, your appeal will be decided under a new system, which requires “new and relevant evidence.” This similar concept is used for claims filed in the updated appeals process put in place by the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA).
