HR 3835119th CongressIn Committee

Veterans Appeals Efficiency Act of 2025

Introduced: Jun 9, 2025

Veterans Affairs

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Veterans Appeals Efficiency Act of 2025 proposes several changes aimed at speeding up the process for deciding veterans’ benefits claims and appeals, improving case management by the VA and the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (BVA), and expanding certain court options for challenging VA decisions. Key elements include new annual reporting on adjudication timing and docket management, a formal system to track and maintain information about various kinds of claims, authority for the BVA to aggregate multiple appeals with common issues, and expanded appellate court jurisdiction to handle class actions and certain remands. The bill also requires studies and potential reforms to the Board’s authority, including the possibility of precedential (binding across cases) Board decisions, and directs procedures to ensure substantial compliance with remand decisions. Overall, the bill seeks to increase transparency on delays, speed up adjudications where possible (including via case aggregation and faster docket advancement), and provide veterans with broader and potentially faster avenues to pursue class-action-like relief or targeted court-ordered remands. It imposes new data-collection requirements and creates new processes for how the Board and the courts handle complex or multiple-issue appeals.

Key Points

1Annual reporting on adjudication length and docket movement (5109B(b)). The VA must publish yearly data on how long remanded claims take to resolve, how many cases advance on the docket due to 7107(b) motions (and outcomes), and how appeals are dismissed (including whether dismissals involved death or suicide). The first report is due within a year of enactment.
2Guidelines for advancing cases on the Board’s docket (5109B(d)). Within a year, VA, in consultation with the BVA and VA’s General Counsel, must issue guidelines for handling motions for earlier consideration under 7107(b)(3), including what evidence may accompany such motions.
3New tracking system for claims (5109C). A new statute requiring VA to use technology to track and maintain information about various claim situations (ongoing, in the National Work Queue, expeditiously treated, remanded by the Board, or awaiting a Board hearing), plus instances of noncompliance with Board remands, certain supplemental claims, and early death notices of beneficiaries (distinguishing those with fiduciaries from those without).
4Board authority to aggregate appeals (7104(a) amendment; new subsection (h)). The BVA Chair may aggregate multiple appeals with common questions of law or fact to issue shared determinations. The change takes effect once VA completes related policies and procedures.
5Substantial compliance with Board remands (new subsection (f) under 7104). The VA must ensure substantial compliance with Board remands; waivers are possible if new evidence resolves issues or if a remand was unnecessary. Waivers must be noted in the Board’s decision.
6Increased reporting on aggregation (new 7104(h)). Every five years, the VA must report on when and how claims were aggregated, assess whether aggregation improved efficiency, and provide further details deemed appropriate.
7Expanded jurisdiction of the Court of Appeals for Veterans' Claims (CAVC) for class actions and related reforms (new subsections after 38 U.S.C. §7252). The Court would gain supplemental jurisdiction over certain class-action-eligible claims that fit a defined class and have nonfinal VA decisions and notices of disagreement. It also allows class-action requests to include administrative review opportunities and tolls deadlines if a class-action review is denied.
8Limited remands to the Board and Court remand procedures (new 7252 subsections). The Court may remand a matter to the Board to address a specific question of law or fact, with rules governing limited remands, timelines for Board action, and court stay of the matter pending Board decision.
9Study of common questions and potential Board precedents (new 7104 study and report; 7104(f)). The Board Chair must identify frequently decided questions of law/fact for which precedential guidance would help, with an option to use AI. A report is due within one year.
10Independent assessment of potential Board reforms (new subsection (g)). The VA must engage an FFRDC to assess feasibility of (i) giving the Board authority to issue precedential decisions on questions of law or fact, and (ii) expanding aggregation authority for review. The FFRDC must consult with veterans’ organizations and legal experts and deliver findings and recommendations. The Secretary must also begin implementing related policies within a set timeframe and complete them within six months after beginning.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected- Veterans and beneficiaries seeking disability or other benefits, and their families/fiduciaries. The bill directly changes how claims and appeals are tracked, how quickly cases may be advanced, and the operations of the Board and the Court in certain kinds of appeals, potentially affecting timelines, access to relief, and types of relief available (including class-action-like mechanisms).Secondary group/area affected- VA employees, Board of Veterans’ Appeals judges and staff, and VA legal counsel. Expanded data tracking, new aggregation procedures, and new remand rules will require process changes, data systems updates, and new training.Additional impacts- Judicial and regulatory processes: Expanded CAVC jurisdiction for class actions and limited remands could alter how veterans’ appeals are litigated and resolved, possibly increasing court activity and changing timing dynamics.- Data systems and administration: The new tracking requirements (5109C) imply investment in IT systems, data collection, and reporting capabilities, plus ongoing monitoring of accuracy and timeliness.- Oversight and policy development: The bill imposes periodic reporting to Congress, study requirements, and potential policy changes guided by independent assessments, which could lead to future legislative or administrative reforms.- Costs and workload considerations: More reporting, tracking, and potential aggregation/remand activities may affect VA workloads and budgeting, though proponents argue these changes could reduce overall delays by improving efficiency.Board of Veterans’ Appeals (BVA): The VA body responsible for deciding appeals on VA benefit claims.7107(b)(3): A provision allowing a veteran to ask the Board to advance their case on the docket for earlier consideration.5109B: A section of title 38 that deals with adjudication timelines and related reporting.5109C: A newly proposed section for tracking and maintaining information about certain claims.7252: A section of title 38 governing the Court of Appeals for Veterans’ Claims.FFRDC: Federally funded research and development center, a research partner used for objective assessments.Precedential decision: A decision that establishes a rule or principle binding for future similar cases.“Aggregate” (as defined in the bill): Includes joining, consolidating, intervening, class actions, and other multiparty procedures to address common issues across multiple appeals.

Generated by gpt-5-nano on Oct 7, 2025