[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 13 (Tuesday, January 20, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H936-H937]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
VETERANS LAW JUDGE EXPERIENCE ACT OF 2025
Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 659) to amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the
Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals to give priority to
individuals with certain professional experience in recommending such
individuals to serve as members of the Board of Veterans' Appeals, and
for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 659
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Law Judge
Experience Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. PRIORITY FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH CERTAIN PROFESSIONAL
EXPERIENCE IN APPOINTMENTS TO BOARD OF
VETERANS' APPEALS.
Subsection (a) of section 7101A of title 38, United States
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
``(3) In recommending individuals to the Secretary to serve
as members of the Board, the Chairman shall give priority to
individuals with three or more years of legal professional
experience in areas that pertain to the laws administered by
the Secretary.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Bost) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.
General Leave
Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on
H.R. 659.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 659.
This bill would require the chairman of the Board of Veterans'
Appeals to prioritize people with at least 3 years of relevant
experience working in veterans law when recommending new veteran law
judges to the VA Secretary for positions at the VA.
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This legislation does not alter the criteria the board currently uses
to evaluate judges, and it does not restrict the board chairman from
recommending other qualified candidates.
Madam Speaker, this bill would ensure that the best judges with
vitally important firsthand experience are serving our veterans at the
VA.
Veterans expect that those who are hearing their appeal or reviewing
evidence in support of their appeal, have the skills, knowledge, and
experience in veterans law to make sound decisions.
I support this commonsense legislation, and I urge all of my
colleagues to support H.R. 659. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of
my time.
Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise to express my support for H.R. 659, the
Veterans Law Judge Experience Act of 2025.
Madam Speaker, contrary to what the American public often thinks,
sometimes in this body we actually do things that make sense.
That is very much the case with H.R. 659, the Veterans Law Judge
Experience Act introduced by my friend and colleague, Representative
Julia Brownley.
This bill is simple and straightforward.
It states that when recommending individuals to serve on the Board of
Veterans' Appeals, priority should be given to those who have 3 or more
years of experience in practicing veterans law.
The Veterans' Affairs Committee hears often about the complex nature
of the disability compensation system at the Department of Veterans
Affairs. That complexity, unfortunately, leads to mistakes and errors
that cause our veterans' disability claims to be denied prematurely.
Especially now at a time when we have seen that Secretary Collins has
shifted the Department's focus from getting claims right to simply
getting them fast, we are seeing higher rates of processing errors,
higher denial rates, and consequently higher rates of appeals to the
Board of Veterans' Appeals, the BVA.
In that context, it is imperative that the BVA has the staffing
levels and experience levels to get things right for our veterans. I,
along with everyone else, support efforts to ensure that veterans and
beneficiaries are being served at every point of contact in VA by the
best talent we can muster.
One way we can do that is by ensuring we have the right folks in the
right roles. This legislation seeks to help that at BVA by focusing on
hiring those with sufficient experience to best serve our veterans.
We can and should look to staff the Board of Veterans' Appeals with
attorneys that have demonstrated expertise in this area, attorneys who
are experienced and who can see beyond quotas and metrics to apply the
law to the maximum benefit of veterans at the heart of the process.
So, Madam Speaker, I strongly support H.R. 659 and urge my colleagues
to do the same.
I also want to mention another bill that the House should take up
which would further improve the BVA. H.R. 2303, introduced by
Representative Morgan McGarvey, increases the promotion potential for
attorneys at the Board of Veterans' Appeals.
I know that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle balk at
anything that might result in civil servants receiving more
compensation, but if we agree that we need to hire board attorneys with
greater experience, and we are asking them to do more work and more
complex work at that, we ought to see fit to pay them what they are
worth. I hope that my colleagues see fit to advance that bill very
soon, as well.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
[[Page H937]]
Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, before I actually yield to the gentlewoman
from California (Ms. Brownley), I want to--in recognition of her
announced retirement, though she is going to be with us for the rest of
the year, but I don't know if I will ever have this chance of a moment
on the floor with her again--point out that she was the leader of the
very first Women Veterans Task Force that resulted in the Deborah
Sampson Act, which unfortunately, is really substantively the bill that
she put forward and is really the real author of, but it carries
somebody else's name. It is the same with the Elizabeth Dole 21st
Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act. It is an
amazing piece of legislation and amazingly substantive. The Elizabeth
Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act has
laid the groundwork for our senior veterans who want to age in place at
home. Congresswoman Brownley has worked on that and many other pieces
of legislation as the chair and then ranking member of the Subcommittee
on Health.
It is with a heavy heart that I yield such time as she may consume to
the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Brownley), my good friend and
colleague, the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Health, and the
author of this legislation.
Ms. BROWNLEY. Madam Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding,
and I thank him for the very kind words. I appreciate it very much. I
thank the chairman and the ranking member for their support of this
bill, the Veterans Law Judge Experience Act, and for their work to
bring it to the floor today.
Every day, far too many veterans across this country are waiting for
a VA benefit decision, but not only for the benefits they are due, but
for the stability, the security, and the relief that comes with these
benefits.
Too often, that wait stretches from months and sometimes into years.
During that time, veterans are left in limbo, unable to work,
struggling to support their families, and forced to navigate a system
that moves far too slowly for the urgency of their lives.
Across our district offices, our caseworkers hear directly from
veterans who are desperate for answers about their claims and appeals.
In many cases, a timely VA decision could change a veteran's life. Yet,
even after waiting for an initial decision, they may need to appeal
their case to the Board of Veterans' Appeals where they face more
months and often years of additional delay.
Veterans deserve a system that works with the same urgency and
seriousness with which they served our Nation. In recent years, despite
hiring new veteran law judges, the board has often lacked the
experienced personnel needed to move cases efficiently and accurately.
This is in part due to the fact that in February 2020 the longstanding
experience requirement for the veteran law judges was eliminated,
opening the door to hiring judges without a background in veterans law.
While we respect the commitment of those entering this workforce, the
reality is that lengthy training periods slow decisions, increase
errors, and leave veterans waiting even longer for answers.
The Veterans Law Judge Experience Act takes a practical, commonsense,
and targeted step to address this challenge to encourage the Board of
Veterans' Appeals to prioritize hiring judges with at least 3 years of
veterans' law experience. That means more cases decided, fewer delays,
and stronger retention of professionals who already understand this
complex and deeply consequential area of the law.
Hiring experienced veteran law judges will help speed the appeals
process, improve the accuracy of decisions, and reduce unnecessary
appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veteran Claims.
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, there are
approximately 200,000 pending appeals before the board today--200,000
pending appeals before the board today.
Further, a GAO audit spanning 2019 to 2022, showed the U.S. Court of
Appeals for Veteran Claims either partially or fully remanded more than
80 percent of veteran cases back to the board, resting the clock and
compounding delays.
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Madam Speaker, our obligation to veterans does not end when they no
longer serve in uniform. It continues in how we care for them, how we
honor their service, and how seriously we take the responsibility to
deliver the benefits they have earned. That is what guides my work on
the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and why I am proud to see this
bipartisan bill move forward.
By strengthening the expertise of the Board of Veterans' Appeals, we
can reduce the backlog, restore trust in the system, and ensure
veterans receive the timely and fair decisions they deserve.
Madam Speaker, I respectfully urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on
this bill which passed the House Veterans' Affairs Committee with
overwhelming bipartisan support.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I encourage my colleagues to
vote ``yes'' on H.R. 659, the Veterans Law Judge Experience Act of
2025. It is clear to me from the words on the floor from the ranking
member of the House subcommittee, Julia Brownley, that this bill is
wise, it is warranted, and it is well-thought-out.
The arguments for it are about helping our veterans receive their
claims and get their claims approved in a timely manner. Again, I
repeat my sentiment that we appreciate her service to this body. She
has left an indelible mark on veterans' policy, on veterans' affairs,
and I look forward to serving the balance of this year with my
colleague and congratulate her on a brilliant career in the House of
Representatives.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the gentlewoman from California
for her time in service here. I wish her the best. Hopefully, we will
continue working together, as we still have a lot of things to get
done. This bill is a very good bill.
Mr. Speaker, I, once again, encourage all Members to support this
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Newhouse). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 659.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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