{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://bishop.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-bishop-supports-bipartisan-bill-to-help-resolve-veterans-va-claims-more-quickly", "CONGRESSMAN BISHOP SUPPORTS BIPARTISAN BILL TO HELP RESOLVE VETERANS\u2019 VA CLAIMS MORE QUICKLY", "2023-09-20", "2023", "2023-09", "Democrat", "House", "GA", "Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.", "B000490", "bishop.house.gov", "bishop", "https://bishop.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) supported the approval of H.R. 1530, the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act, which increases the number of judges on the Court of Appeals for Veterans' Claims (CAVC) and provides incentives for law school students and recent law graduates to work for the VA. The bill received unanimous support by vote of 423-0.\n\n\u201cWe strive to ensure all veterans get the benefits they have earned and part of that is ensuring that disputed VA claims are addressed in a timely manner,\u201d said Congressman Bishop. \u201cThis bill would expand the number of staff and resources dedicated to this process so that our veterans can have their cases resolved more quickly.\u201d\n\nThe CAVC has jurisdiction over appeals relating to veterans\u2019 benefits when veterans believe that VA\u2019s final decisions are incorrect. Under current law, the court is authorized to have up to seven permanent judges; it has temporary authority for two additional judges through the end of 2025. This bill would permanently authorize the court to seat up to nine judges beginning in 2026.\n\nThe bill would also require VA to establish a program to reimburse the costs of state bar exam preparation and annual bar dues for recent law graduates who commit to a three-year service agreement with the department. It will also update the VA\u2019s claims process for veterans by requiring updates to the public-facing Disability Benefits Questionnaires (DBQ) on its website.\n\nIn March 2023, Congressman Bishop supported the passage of the Removing Extraneous Loopholes Insuring Every Veteran Emergency (RELIEVE) Act. This bill will allow veterans to receive reimbursements for medical care received at non-VA facilities within 60 days of their enrollment to the VA's healthcare system.\n\nIn June 2023, Congressman Bishop joined Representative Pat Fallon to introduce the Veterans Mental and Behavioral Health Quality of Care Act. This bipartisan bill would ensure that veterans receive the highest level of care both inside and outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs system. The bill also seeks to identify and close gaps in coordination that would improve the efficiency and quality of care provided.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://bishop.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-bishop-supports-bipartisan-bill-to-help-resolve-veterans-va-claims-more-quickly"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5099619049578905, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}