No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section improves the efficiency of adjudications and appeals for VA benefits claims by making the following changes: (1) amending section 5109B of title 38, United States Code, to require annual reports to the congressional Veterans' Affairs Committees on the average time claims remanded by the Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) have been pending, the number of cases advanced on the BVA docket under section 7107(b) (disaggregated by grant/denial and reason), and the number of BVA dismissals (disaggregated by appellant death and, if by death, suicide), with the first report due within one year of enactment; (2) directing the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in consultation with the BVA and VA General Counsel, to prescribe guidelines within one year of enactment for motions to advance cases on the BVA docket under section 7107(b)(3), including types of supporting evidence; (3) adding new section 5109C requiring the Secretary to use technology to track specified claims (e.g., continuously pursued claims, unassigned National Work Queue claims, expeditiously treated claims, BVA-remanded claims, and BVA hearing-pending claims), adjudicator non-compliance with BVA remand decisions, post-final decision supplemental claims, and beneficiary death notices (disaggregated by fiduciary assignment), with annual reports to the committees and the first due within one year of enactment; and (4) amending section 7104(a) to authorize the BVA Chairman to aggregate appeals involving common questions of law or fact (effective on enactment, applicable after specified policies are developed).