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TITLE 
VI—UNITED 
STATES
COURT OF APPEALS FOR VET-
ERANS CLAIMS
SEC. 601. TEMPORARY EXPANSION OF UNITED STATES
COURT OF APPEALS FOR VETERANS CLAIMS
TO 
FACILITATE 
STAGGERED 
TERMS 
OF
JUDGES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—(1) Section 7253 is amended by
adding at the end the following new subsection:
‘‘(h) TEMPORARY EXPANSION OF COURT.—(1) Not-
withstanding subsection (a) and subject to the provisions
of this subsection, the authorized number of judges of the
Court from the date of the enactment of this subsection until
August 15, 2005, is nine judges.
‘‘(2) Of the two additional judges authorized by this
subsection—
‘‘(A) only one judge may be appointed pursuant
to a nomination made in 2001 or 2002;
‘‘(B) only one judge may be appointed pursuant
to a nomination made in 2003; and
‘‘(C) if no judge is appointed pursuant to a
nomination covered by subparagraph (A), a nomina-
tion covered by subparagraph (B), or neither a nomi-
nation covered by subparagraph (A) nor a nomina-
tion covered by subparagraph (B), the number of
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judges authorized by this subsection but not appointed
as described in subparagraph (A), (B), or both, as the
case may be, may be appointed pursuant to a nomi-
nation or nominations made in 2004, but only if such
nomination or nominations, as the case may be, are
made before September 30, 2004.
‘‘(3) The term of office and eligibility for retirement
of a judge appointed under this subsection, other than a
judge described in paragraph (4), shall be governed by the
provisions of section 1012 of the Court of Appeals for Vet-
erans Claims Amendments of 1999 (title X of Public Law
106–117; 113 Stat. 1590; 38 U.S.C. 7296 note) if the judge
is one of the first two judges appointed to the Court after
November 30, 1999.
‘‘(4) A judge of the Court as of the date of the enact-
ment of this subsection who was appointed before 1991 may
accept appointment as a judge of the Court under this sub-
section notwithstanding that the term of office of the judge
on the Court has not yet expired under this section.’’.
(2) No appointment may be made under section 7253
of title 38, United States Code, as amended by paragraph
(1), if the appointment would provide for a number of
judges in excess of seven judges (other than judges serving
in recall status under section 7257 of title 38, United States
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Code) who were appointed to the United States Court of
Appeals for Veterans Claims after January 1, 1997.
(b) STYLISTIC AMENDMENTS.—That section is further
amended—
(1) in subsection (b), by inserting ‘‘APPOINT-
MENT.—’’ before ‘‘The judges’’;
(2) in subsection (c), by inserting ‘‘TERM OF OF-
FICE.—’’ before ‘‘The terms’’;
(3) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘(f)(1)’’ and in-
serting ‘‘(f) REMOVAL.—(1)’’; and
(4) in subsection (g), by inserting ‘‘RULES.—’’
before ‘‘The Court’’.
SEC. 602. REPEAL OF REQUIREMENT FOR WRITTEN NOTICE
REGARDING ACCEPTANCE OF REAPPOINT-
MENT AS CONDITION TO RETIREMENT FROM
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR
VETERANS CLAIMS.
Section 7296(b)(2) is amended by striking the second
sentence.
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SEC. 603. TERMINATION OF NOTICE OF DISAGREEMENT AS
JURISDICTIONAL REQUIREMENT FOR UNITED
STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR VETERANS
CLAIMS.
(a) TERMINATION.—Section 402 of the Veterans’ Judi-
cial Review Act (division A of Public Law 100–687; 102
Stat. 4122; 38 U.S.C. 7251 note) is repealed.
(b) ATTORNEY FEES.—Section 403 of the Veterans’ Ju-
dicial Review Act (102 Stat. 4122; 38 U.S.C. 5904 note)
is repealed.
(c) CONSTRUCTION.—The repeal in subsection (a) may
not be construed to confer upon the United States Court
of Appeals for Veterans Claims jurisdiction over any appeal
or other matter not within the jurisdiction of the Court as
provided in section 7266(a) of title 38, United States Code.
(d) APPLICABILITY.—The repeals made by subsections
(a) and (b) shall apply to—
(1) any appeal filed with the United States
Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims on or after the
date of the enactment of this Act; and
(2) any appeal pending before the Court on that
date, other than an appeal in which the Court has
made a final disposition under section 7267 of title
38, United States Code, even though such appeal is
not yet final under section 7291(a) of title 38, United
States Code.
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SEC. 604. REGISTRATION FEES.
(a) REGISTRATION
FEES
FOR
PARTICIPATION
IN
OTHER COURT-SPONSORED ACTIVITIES.—Subsection (a) of
section 7285 is amended to read as follows:
‘‘(a) The Count of Appeals for Veterans Claims may
impose registration fees as follows:
‘‘(1) Periodic registration fees on persons admit-
ted to practice before the Court, in such frequency and
amount (not to exceed $30 per year) as the Court
may provide.
‘‘(2) Registration fees on persons (other than
judges of the Court) participating at judicial con-
ferences convened pursuant to section 7286 of this
title, and at other Court-sponsored activities.’’.
(b) AVAILABILITY
OF REGISTRATION FEES.—Sub-
section (b) of that section is amended—
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘employing
independent counsel’’ and inserting ‘‘conducting in-
vestigations and proceedings, including the employ-
ment of independent counsel,’’; and
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘administra-
tive costs for the implementation of the standards of
proficiency prescribed for practice before the Court’’
and inserting ‘‘the expenses of judicial conferences
convened pursuant to section 7286 of this title, and
of other Court-sponsored activities covered by para-
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graph (2) of that subsection, and the expenses of other
activities and programs of the Court intended to sup-
port and foster communications and relationships be-
tween the Court and persons practicing before the
Court, or the study, understanding, public commemo-
ration, or improvement of veterans law or of the work
of the Court’’.
(c) CONFORMING AND CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—(1)
The section heading for section 7285 is amended to read
as follows:
‘‘§ 7285. Registration fees’’.
(2) The table of sections at the beginning of chapter
72 is amended by striking the item relating to section 7285
and inserting the following new item:
‘‘7285. Registration fees.’’.
SEC. 605. ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITIES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter III of chapter 72 is
amended by inserting after section 7286 the following new
section:
‘‘§ 7287. Administration
‘‘Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the
Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims may exercise, for pur-
poses of management, administration, and expenditure of
funds of the Court, the authorities provided for such pur-
poses by any provision of law (including any limitation
with respect to such provision of law) applicable to a court
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of the United States (as that term is defined in section 451
of title 28), except to the extent that such provision of law
is inconsistent with a provision of this chapter.’’.
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections at
the beginning of chapter 72 is amended by inserting after
the item related to section 7286 the following new item:
‘‘7287. Administration.’’.
Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘An Act to amend
title 38, United States Code, to modify and improve au-
thorities relating to education benefits, compensation and
pension benefits, housing benefits, burial benefits, and
vocational rehabilitation benefits for veterans, to modify
certain authorities relating to the United States Court of
Appeals for Veterans Claims, and for other purposes.’’.
Attest:
Secretary.