Which of the following actions can NOT be taken by CAVC?

The Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) is specifically established to provide judicial review of decisions made by the Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA). Its authority is primarily focused on reviewing existing decisions rather than conducting trials de novo.

When discussing the concept of trials de novo, it's important to understand that this term refers to conducting a new trial as if the original trial had not occurred. CAVC does not have the jurisdiction to hold trials and re-examine evidence in this manner; instead, it reviews the administrative record developed during the VA's decision-making process. This means that decisions made by the VA or BVA are evaluated based on the evidence that was presented at those levels.

In contrast, the CAVC does indeed have the authority to review decisions made by the VA, to grant or deny benefits based on its reviews of these decisions in accordance with the law, and to issue orders for remand, which may send cases back to the VA for further action based on findings from the court. Thus, the CAVC plays a critical role in ensuring that veterans' appeals are heard fairly and that any legal errors by the VA are corrected without the need for initiating a new trial process.