Juan Ciscomani: “I thank Chairman Bost for yielding me this time to speak in support of Representative Luttrell's bill, the Veterans…”

“I thank Chairman Bost for yielding me this time to speak in support of Representative Luttrell's bill, the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2023. I am grateful that my bill, the Veterans' Appeals Backlog Improvement Act, is included in this package. My bipartisan bill, which I introduced with Congressman McGarvey, is aimed at reducing wait times for our veterans with claims in front of the Board of Veterans' Appeals. For too many of our veterans, they are waiting weeks, months, and sometimes even years to hear back. These delays create an incredible hurdle for our veterans who are trying to get a potentially life- changing decision. While progress has been made in this area to older legacy VA appeals from veterans, the backlog is only increasing with newer claims stemming from the PACT Act. Simply put, the Board of Veterans' Appeals, like all employers, is having issues recruiting employees and does not have enough staff to process the volume of cases. To address this shortage, my bill would create an internship program for law students at the Board of Veterans' Appeals. Additionally, it would create a 9-year pilot honors program at the VA for recruiting entry-level attorneys to work at the Board of Veterans' Appeals. This bill makes major strides in improving and addressing the backlog and delays that our veterans see far too often and will help recruit much-needed staff.…”