WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) introduced the Veterans Appeals Efficiency Act of 2025. This bipartisan legislation would provide the Board of Veterans’ Appeals with new tools and address procedural issues to streamline veterans’ appeals, thereby giving them quicker access to the VA benefits they have earned. Chairman Mike Bost and Ranking Member Mark Takano are co-leading the bill in the House.
Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) said, “This bill cuts red tape and speeds up the appeals process so veterans get the benefits they’ve earned without unnecessary bureaucracy and delays.”
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said, “Navigating the VA appeals adjudication process can be an onerous and uphill undertaking for many veterans and their families. This legislation rightfully streamlines and shortens the bureaucratic appeals process to ensure our heroes receive the benefits they have earned in a more timely manner.”
Key provisions of the Veterans Appeals Efficiency Act are:
- Allow the Board of Veterans’ Appeals to aggregate veterans’ appeals that involve common questions of law or fact.
- Authorize the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims to certify class actions, including those involving veterans who are still awaiting a decision from the Board on their appeals.
- Require VA to track better the timeliness of claims and appeals, including claims that were never decided due to a veteran’s death.
- Direct the Board to issue guidelines on when and how a veteran’s appeal can be advanced to the front of the line.
- Codify caselaw requiring VA to comply with the Board’s orders.
- Codify and clarify the Court’s authority to issue limited remands to the Board.
- Require the Board to identify and report on recurring questions of law or fact that would benefit from the issuance of binding guidance.
- Commission an independent research entity to examine how aggregation should be structured and study the feasibility of authorizing the Board to issue binding legal decisions.
- Build on the landmark 2017 Veterans Appeals Improvement Act by giving the Board and Court more tools to process veterans’ benefit claims appeals more accurately and efficiently.
Full bill text can be found here.
