President Trump recently signed legislation at the American Legion's National Convention that will go a long way toward fixing the beleaguered Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) appeals process. The Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 creates three appeals 'lanes.' Veterans would choose the one that best suits his or her needs. The three lanes will be: (1) Local Higher Level Review Lane in which an adjudicator reviews the same evidence considered by the original claims processor, (2) New Evidence Lane in which the veteran could submit new evidence for review and have a hearing, and (3) Board Lane in which jurisdiction for the appeal would transfer immediately to the Board of Veterans Appeals.
For more on the appeals process, visit the VA Claims and Appeals section on Military.com.
