Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney Retention and Backlog Reduction Act

This bill aims to help veterans get faster, higher‑quality decisions on their benefits appeals by making it easier for the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (BVA) to hire and keep skilled attorneys. It does this by improving attorney pay and career growth at the BVA. One clear change is that non‑supervisory BVA attorneys could be promoted up to the GS‑15 pay grade, which is a higher level than many can reach today. The goal is to reduce the backlog and improve decision quality for veterans waiting on answers about their claims.

Key points

• Who is affected: Veterans waiting on appeals, and attorneys working at the Board of Veterans’ Appeals.
• What changes: Improves pay and career paths for BVA attorneys, including allowing promotions to GS‑15 for non‑supervisory attorneys, to boost hiring and retention and speed up decisions.
• Why it matters: Better staffing and retention are intended to shrink the appeals backlog and improve decision quality for veterans’ claims.