Rep. Mike Bost
U.S. House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost (R-IL) recently unveiled legislation that would expand options and cut red tape for veterans seeking to earn disability compensation benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) appeals process.
“Veterans and their families need a benefits system that works with them,” Rep. Bost said.
The congressman introduced the Veterans Appeals Options Expansion Act of 2024, H.R. 7793, on March 22 along with two Republican cosponsors, which would ensure that veterans aren’t penalized for making small errors when filling out VA benefit claim forms.
Currently, if a veteran files an initial claim for VA benefits on the wrong claim form before later submitting the information on the correct form, the VA does not backdate payments to the date of the wrong claim form when that claim is eventually granted, according to a fact sheet on the bill.
H.R. 7793 would ensure that the VA considers the date of the incorrect claim form for purposes of backdating any grants of disability compensation. It would also allow veterans to change board dockets at any time before their appeal was assigned to a VA Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision-maker, among other provisions.
The new bill would build on Rep. Bost’s Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017.
“I was proud to lead the landmark Appeals Modernization Act in 2017 to make needed reforms and improvements to the VA appeals system. This bill rightfully gave veterans more choice and control over their appeal,” Rep. Bost said. “However, there is more work to do to make sure veterans are well-served and receive timely, accurate disability compensation benefits decisions.”