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Senate and House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Hearing (Insurance News Net)

Released 3/19/15 at Federal Information & News Dispatch, Inc. | Tags: Testimony, Veteran's Benefits

In January of 2015 the National Veterans Legal Services Program testified before your House Subcommittee on Disability, Assistance and Memorial Affairs for the HVAC and presented several proposals that TREA thinks would help the situation. They included:" - Authorize BVA to Develop Evidence Itself Without Having to Remand to the AMC or Regional Office - Provide Veterans Organizations with a Right to Petition the VA General Counsel for a Binding Precedent Opinion on the Proper Interpretation of a Statute or Regulation - Authorize the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims to (a) Certify a Case as a Class Action on behalf of Similarly Situated VA Claimants, (b) - - -- Require the VA to Stay Proceedings on the Claims of All Similarly Situated Claimants, and (c) Once the Court Finally Decides the Case, Require VA to Apply the Decision to all of the Pending Claims That Were Stayed - Prohibit The ROs And BVA, In A Case In Which There Is Positive Evidence Supporting the Award Of Benefits, From Developing Negative -Evidence Against The Claim Unless The RO or BVA First Explains In Writing Why The Existing Record Is Not Sufficient To Award Benefits - Require VBA To Change Its Work Credit System for RO Adjudicators So That Raters Do Not Get Work Credit For Denying A Claim Without First Obtaining The Evidence Needed To Comply With The VA Duty To Assist" [more]

Witness Testimony of Barton F. Stichman, Esquire, Joint Executive Director, NVLSP

Released 1/22/15 at House Veterans Affairs Committee | Tags: Testimony

The backlog of claims appeals has been continually growing at the VA. The time it takes from the filing of the initial appeal document – the Notice of Disagreement (NOD) -- to the issuance of an initial Board of Veterans’ Appeal (BVA) decision is exceedingly long -- 1,255 days in FY 2013 (that is, more than 3 years and 5 months) according to the BVA Chairman. [more]

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