I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7919 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for certain revisions 
to the manual of the Veterans Benefits Administration and to improve 
the quality of the adjudication of claims for benefits under the laws 
administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other pur-
poses. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 10, 2024 
Mr. LUTTRELL (for himself, Ms. STEFANIK, and Mr. BILIRAKIS) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for certain 
revisions to the manual of the Veterans Benefits Admin-
istration and to improve the quality of the adjudication 
of claims for benefits under the laws administered by 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other pur-
poses. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Veterans Claims Qual-
ity Improvement Act of 2024’’. 
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SEC. 2. REVIEW OF CERTAIN REVISIONS TO MANUALS OF 
VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION RE-
QUIRED; TRAINING PROGRAM FOR CERTAIN 
EMPLOYEES OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 
AFFAIRS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 311 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘There is in the Department’’ 
and inserting ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There is in the 
Department’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
sections: 
‘‘(b) REVIEW OF REVISIONS TO CERTAIN MANU-
ALS.—With respect to any revisions to the manuals of the 
Veterans Benefits Administration for the adjudication of 
a claim for benefits under the laws administered by the 
Secretary that would have a material effect on such adju-
dication, the General Counsel shall review such revision. 
‘‘(c) PROGRAM FOR TRAINING.—The General Coun-
sel shall develop and carry out a program to provide em-
ployees of the Veterans Benefits Administration who are 
responsible for drafting rules, guidance, or other issuances 
of the Veterans Benefits Administration training on such 
rules, guidance, or other issuances that— 
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SEC. 3. IMPROVEMENTS TO SYSTEM FOR ADJUDICATION 
OF CLAIMS FOR BENEFITS UNDER LAWS AD-
MINISTERED BY SECRETARY OF VETERANS 
AFFAIRS. 
(a) PROGRAM FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE IN DECI-
SIONS OF BOARD OF VETERANS’ APPEALS; PERFORM-
ANCE REVIEWS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Section 7101 of title 38, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(f)(1) The Chairman shall carry out a program to 
ensure quality in the decisions of the Board. Under such 
program, the Chairman shall— 
‘‘(A) develop policies and procedures for— 
‘‘(i) measuring quality in such decisions; 
‘‘(ii) maintaining data on— 
‘‘(I) errors in such decisions; and 
‘‘(II) errors in decisions remanded or 
returned to the Board by the Court of Ap-
peals for Veterans Claims; and 
‘‘(iii) ensuring any such decision of the 
Board to remand a claim for a benefit under a 
law administered by the Secretary is necessary 
under any applicable law or regulation; 
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‘‘(B) with respect to a claim for such a benefit 
that is remanded to the Board by the Court of Ap-
peals for Veterans Claims— 
‘‘(i) inform any employee of the Board re-
sponsible for drafting the decision of the Board 
with respect to such claim that such decision 
was remanded; 
‘‘(ii) provide any such employee with a 
copy of the relevant order of the Court of Ap-
peals for Veterans Claims (including a copy of 
any accompanying joint motion for remand); 
and 
‘‘(iii) provide incentives to such employees 
to review such relevant orders and joint motions 
for remand; and 
‘‘(C) ensure, to the maximum extent prac-
ticable, that any error identified by the Board under 
such program is corrected before the date on which 
the Board issues the final decision associated with 
such error. 
‘‘(2) The Secretary shall submit to the Committees 
on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and 
the Senate an annual report on the program required by 
this subsection that includes, with respect to the period 
covered by the report, an identification of— 
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‘‘(A) elements, if any of the process of the 
Board for reviewing an appeal under this chapter 
that lead to errors in decisions of the Board; and 
‘‘(B) the most common reasons that a claim for 
a benefit under a law administered by the Secretary 
was remanded to such Board by the Court of Ap-
peals for Veterans Claims.’’. 
(2) DEADLINE.—The Secretary shall submit 
the first report required by paragraph (2) of such 
section (as added by paragraph (1)) by not later 
than one year after the date of the enactment of this 
Act. 
(b) TRAINING PROGRAM FOR CERTAIN EMPLOYEES 
OF BOARD OF VETERANS’ APPEALS; PERFORMANCE RE-
VIEWS.— 
(1) TRAINING PROGRAM.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Chapter 71 of such 
title (as amended by subsection (a)) is further 
amended by inserting after section 7101A the 
following new section: 
‘‘§ 7101B. Training program for Members of Board on 
timely and correct adjudication of ap-
peals 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in conjunction 
with the Chairman of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, 
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shall develop and carry out a program to provide Members 
of the Board training on timely and correct adjudication 
of appeals under this chapter. 
‘‘(b) REQUIRED CONSIDERATIONS.—In carrying out 
the program required by subsection (a), the Secretary 
shall consider the following: 
‘‘(1) Feedback, if any, from members of the 
Board and covered employees with respect to such 
program. 
‘‘(2) Data on errors in decisions of the Board 
maintained pursuant to the program for quality as-
surance required by subsection (f) of section 7101 of 
this title. 
‘‘(3) Any decision of the Court of Appeals for 
Veterans Claims to remand a claim for benefits 
under the laws administered by the Secretary to the 
Board for further action, including a joint motion to 
remand such claim. 
‘‘(c) REPORT.—The Secretary shall submit to the 
Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Senate an annual report on the pro-
gram required by subsection (a) that includes a statement 
of the topics of training provided pursuant to this section, 
disaggregated by— 
‘‘(1) mandatory training; and 
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‘‘(2) non-mandatory training. 
‘‘(d) COVERED EMPLOYEE DEFINED.—In this sec-
tion, the term ‘covered employee’ means an employee of 
the Board who is— 
‘‘(1) not a member of the Board; and 
‘‘(2) responsible for drafting decisions of the 
Board.’’. 
(B) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of 
sections at the beginning of such chapter is 
amended by inserting after the item relating to 
section 7101A the following new item: 
‘‘7101B. Training program for Members of Board on timely and correct 
adjudication of appeals.’’. 
(2) PERFORMANCE REVIEWS OF MEMBERS OF 
THE
BOARD.—Section 7101A of such title (as 
amended by paragraph (1)) is amended— 
(A) in subparagraph (B) of subsection 
(c)(1) by striking ‘‘not less often than once 
every three years’’ and inserting ‘‘not less often 
than annually’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
subsection: 
‘‘(h)(1) With respect to any performance review of 
a covered employee, the Secretary may not consider the 
timeliness or quality of work of any Member of the Board. 
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‘‘(2) In this section, the term ‘covered employee’ has 
the meaning given such term in section 7101B of this 
title.’’. 
(c) DECISIONS OF BOARD TO REMAND.— 
(1) INFORMATION RELATING TO DECISIONS TO 
REMAND.—Section 7104 of such title is amended in 
subsection (d)— 
(A) 
by 
redesignating 
paragraphs 
(1) 
through (3) as paragraphs (2) through (4), 
respsectively; and 
(B) by inserting before paragraph (2) (as 
so redesignated), the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(1) with respect to a claim that the Board re-
mands for further action, a statement of the specific 
reasons such claim was remanded, including any 
failure on the part of the Secretary to comply with— 
‘‘(A) the Secretary’s duty to assist under 
section 5103A of this title; and 
‘‘(B) the Secretary’s duty to notify under 
section 5103 of this title.’’. 
(2) NOTICE OF REMANDED DECISION FOR CER-
TAIN EMPLOYEES.—Such section is further amended 
in— 
(A) subsection (e)— 
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(i) by redesignating paragraphs (1) 
through (3) as subparagraphs (A) through 
(C), respectively; 
(ii) by striking ‘‘After’’ and inserting 
‘‘(1) After’’; and 
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new paragraph: 
‘‘(2) If, pursuant to a decision on an appeal, the 
Board remands a claim for a benefit under a law adminis-
tered by the Secretary for further action, the Secretary 
shall, to the maximum extent practicable, issue a copy of 
such decision to each employee of the Veterans Benefits 
Administration who committed the error resulting in the 
decision of the Board to remand, when applicable.’’; and 
(B) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘under 
subsection (e)’’ and inserting ‘‘under paragraph 
(1) of subsection (e)’’. 
(d) ANNUAL REPORTS FOR BOARD OF VETERANS’ 
APPEALS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 71 of such title 38, 
United States Code, is amended by inserting after 
section 7113 the following new section: 
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‘‘§ 7114. Annual reports on Board of Veterans’ Ap-
peals 
‘‘(a) REPORT
ON REASONS
FOR REMANDS.—The 
Chairman of the Board shall submit to the Committees 
on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and 
the Senate an annual report that includes, for each deci-
sion of the Board to remand a claim for a benefit under 
a law administered by the Secretary to the Secretary for 
further adjudication during the period covered by the re-
port, a statement of the reasons for such decision of the 
Board, disaggregated by decisions on— 
‘‘(1) claims with a relevant decision dated on or 
after February 19, 2019; and 
‘‘(2) claims with a relevant decision dated be-
fore such date. 
‘‘(b) REPORT
ON UNNECESSARY REMANDS.—The 
Secretary, in consultation with the Chairman of the Board 
and the head of the Office of Administrative Review of 
the Veterans Benefits Administration, shall submit to 
Congress an annual report that includes a statement of 
the number of decisions of the Board to remand a claim 
for a benefit under a law administered by the Secretary 
to the Secretary for further action that the Secretary de-
termines were unnecessary during the period covered by 
the report.’’. 
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(2) DEADLINES.—The Secretary shall submit 
the first reports required by subsections (a) and (b) 
of section 7114 of title 38, United States Code (as 
added by paragraph (1)) by not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(e) PLAN FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO QUALITY IN DECI-
SIONS OF BOARD.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than six months 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Veterans Affairs, in consultation with the 
Chairman of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals and the 
head of the Office of Administrative Review of the 
Veterans Benefits Administration, shall develop a 
plan to— 
(A) improve the quality of decisions of the 
Board to remand, pursuant to section 7104 of 
title 38, United States Code, claims for a ben-
efit under a law administered by the Secretary 
to the Secretary for further action; and 
(B) mitigate the number of such decisions 
that are unnecessary under any applicable law 
or regulation. 
(2) REPORT.—The Secretary shall submit to 
the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of 
Representatives and the Senate a report on such 
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plan by not later than six months after the date of 
the enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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