Good News, Board Of Veterans Appeals

[LarryJ]

Secretary Announces Expansion of Veterans Appeals Board

Four New Judges Will Speed Veterans’ Appeals

WASHINGTON (Oct. 21, 2009) – Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced the addition of four new Veterans Law Judges to the Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA), which will enable the board to increase the number of cases being decided.

“Veterans have earned the right to prompt, exhaustive and professional review of their claims for benefits,” Secretary Shinseki said. “This expansion of BVA will enable Veterans to receive more expeditious decisions on their appeals.”

BVA is an appeals body to which Veterans, their dependents or their survivors can go when they are not satisfied with decisions about claims for benefits administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). BVA reviews decisions on benefit claims made by local VA offices and issues decisions on appeals. The board currently has 60 Veterans Law Judges.

These law judges are attorneys experienced in Veterans law and in reviewing benefit claims. They are the only ones who can issue BVA decisions. Staff attorneys, also trained in Veterans law, review the facts of each appeal and assist the board members.

In fiscal year 2008, the board decided 43,757 appeals and handled 48,804 cases in fiscal year 2009. Most of the cases involve claims for disability compensation and pensions.

“We must foster a responsive approach when we consider Veterans,” Shinseki said. “Reducing the backlog of benefits decisions and waiting times are essential to providing our Veterans and their families with the service they deserve.”

VA provides a pamphlet entitled, How Do I Appeal, to anyone who is not satisfied with the results of a benefits claim that was decided by a VA regional office, medical center or another local VA office. The pamphlet explains the steps involved in filing an appeal. For more information about BVA or to download a copy of the pamphlet, visit www.va.gov/vbs/bva.

[jbasser]

The BVA should be renamed to RVC or remanding Vets claims.

If the RO did their job correctly there would not nearly be as big of a backlog and The VBA would not have to hire additional judges to remand more claims back to the RO's

J

Edited October 21, 2009 by jbasser

[Testvet]

Wonder how many cases they each hear a day. I heard somewhere that each judge does 10 hearings a day. Anyone hear this??

I can see how they could do it my hearing lasted all of 15 minutes and most of it was the Judge asking me if I felt I had a fair hearing and was there anything not covered in my lawyers papers that I thought he should know. I told him I thought she covered it all very well and the state licensing board papers showing the VA doctors were NOT cardioligists as the VARO had claimed but were rather a NP, a MD and a radioligist, I was confident with my IMO's that they spoke for themselves as they were from board certified specialists in cardiology and one pyschiatrist that was a retired Army Colonel who had worked his career in the Edgewood Arsenal experiments.

If he did 2 cases an hour and he was there for 6 hours that would be 12 a day but I am sure a lot of cases take longer than mine did and some maybe even less but I doubt by much

[Testvet]

The BVA should be renamed to RVC or remanding Vets claims.

If the RO did their job correctly there would not nearly be as big of a backlog and The VBA would not have to hire additional judges to remand more claims back to the RO's

J

I was lucky or the fact it had already been at the RO for 7 years and I had 4 IMOs the BVA granted it in 3 months no remands necessary

[broncovet]

I would not count on that doing any good. They were supposed to hire hundreds more VA raters, they did, and the claims backlog increased 16% on Shinsekis watch, so I dont expect that hiring more judges will do any good either. This is just a political ploy so they can say, "Well we tried to reduce the backlog including the backlog of appeals..we even hired more judges."

They will always use the war(s) as an excuse. Right now, my VA med center uses as an excuse the bad economy..that is why they have bad health care.

The claims backlog, as well as the appeals backlog will increase, because that small number of judges wont help.

It is spin just like the Secretary offering "emergency assistance" to Vets seeking education assistance.

Where is the "emergency assistance" money for th 1,000,000 backlogged claims.

I dont mean to sound so negative, but I have heard too many of VA promises to beleive them anymore.

It is still one more "failed program", added to the list..failed IT projects, failed Post 9-11 Education claims, failed by shredding claims, failed at cleaning coloscopy equipment, etc, etc. The VA makes mistakes and Veterans are always asked to pay the penalty.

Edited October 21, 2009 by broncovet

[carlie]

I have a feeling some of these four judges were hired

to replace those that left the board.

My original judge, Jonathan E Day, retired just a little bit

after I had my first BVA hearing and I was assigned another

judge.

I was afforded a second BVA hearing in front of the judge

assigned to my claim.

His name is Stephen L Wilkins and he was appointed by Reagan.

jmho,

carlie

[Mcafee]

Hello All Hope All Is Well.

I believe this to be just another ploy of the DOG AND PONY SHOW to make it look like they are showing productive process,not to say that this will make more claims be denied than approved.

I would like to know the percentage of true SERVICE connected claims that are remanded or denied?

When in fact the FACTS are clear and true in SMR for Service Connection and yet many of these claims are remanded or denied.

In my Opinion I don't believe four more PEN PUSHERS are going to make a real difference unless they are Veterans or disabled,(liberals). LOL