The U.S. House approved a bill Tuesday that would overhaul the Department of Veterans Affairs appeals process, according to a Belleville News-Democrat report.
Here are seven things to know.
1. The Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 addresses the appeals process that may ensue after a veteran files a disability claim.
2. Once a veteran files a disability claim, the VA determines whether the claimed disability is granted or denied and assigns the veteran a disability rating, according to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. The veteran may appeal the VA's decision.
3. There were approximately 380,000 to 470,000 pending appeals in fiscal year 2015, but that number increased more than 20 percent by fiscal year 2017, according to the committee.
4. As it stands now, the VA projects the process to resolve the appeals currently pending will take at least five years, despite additional financial resources to address the backlog, the committee said.
5. The Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 aims to help reduce this backlog. Under the bill, three "lanes" would be established for veterans' appeals, the committee said. This includes the "local higher level review lane" where an adjudicator reviews "the same evidence considered by the original claims processor," according to the committee. This also includes the "new evidence lane" where "the veteran could submit new evidence for review and have a hearing," as well as the "board lane" where the Board of Veterans' Appeals would have jurisdiction for the appeal.
6. Some veterans with an appeal in progress would be able to participate in the new system, according to the committee. The bill also calls for the VA to provide Congress with status reports on the new system.
7. The Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 must still gain approval in the U.S. Senate.