New legislation is being proposed in Congress that aims to overhaul the complex and unwieldy appeals process for disability claims made to Veteran's Affairs. H.R. 7793, the Veterans Appeals Options Expansion Act of 2024 is being pushed by house Republicans to make the appeals process easier for veterans to navigate.
Under the current system, veterans have three options when appealing a decision that Veterans Affairs makes to deny disability claims. Once they select one of those options, they cannot change it to another. If the veteran chooses to have a hearing with Veteran's Affairs, the average wait time is 2.5 years.
Another flaw in the current system is that if a veteran uses the wrong form to file their intent to make disability claims with VA, that this clerical error is not corrected and and back paid. Instead, the veteran must file all over again. The Veteran's Appears Options Expansion Act of 2024 hopes to close a few of these loopholes that make the system almost impossible to navigate without professional help.
"I am honored to introduce the Veterans Appeals Options Expansion Act of 2024 to deliver well deserved timely and accurate disability compensation benefits to the brave men and women who honorably served our country," says Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York. "This crucial legislation makes needed reforms to a decaying VA appeals process putting American veterans back in the driver's seat giving them more control and more options. Our American veterans deserve better, this key legislation ensures that our selfless veterans get access to their well-deserved VA benefits."
"In recent years, I’ve seen a significant rise in constituent complaints related to the bureaucratic red tape Veterans have faced when filing claims and appeals," explained Rep. Gus Bilirakis. "Veterans deserve to have evidence of their claims evaluated by a qualified professional in a timely and efficient manner."