{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://mcgarvey.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressmen-morgan-mcgarvey-gus-bilirakis-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-help-expedite-veterans-appeals-claims", "Congressmen Morgan McGarvey, Gus Bilirakis Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Help Expedite Veterans Appeals Claims", "2025-03-25", "2025", "2025-03", "Democrat", "House", "KY", "Morgan McGarvey", "M001220", "mcgarvey.house.gov", "mcgarvey", "https://mcgarvey.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Today, Congressman Morgan McGarvey (KY-03) and Gus Bilirakis (FL- 12) introduced the Board of Veterans\u2019 Appeals Attorney Retention and Backlog Reduction Act, which would help the Board of Veterans\u2019 Appeals (BVA) recruit and retain the staff necessary to address the significant 200,000-case backlog it currently faces. This bill will be heard in the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee on Wednesday, on which Rep. McGarvey serves as the ranking Democratic member.\n\n\u201cOver 30,000 veterans call Louisville home. They deserve a speedy and efficient VA, especially when appealing a denied claim,\u201d said Rep. McGarvey. \u201cI\u2019m proud to champion this bipartisan legislation with Congressman Gus Bilirakis to provide the Board of Veterans\u2019 Appeals with the tools needed to address the claims backlog, retain talented attorneys, and ensure our veterans get the benefits they\u2019ve earned.\u201d\n\n\u201cToo often, the Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA) continues to be a roadblock for timely processing of VA claims,\u201d said Rep. Bilirakis. \u201cThe Veteran Appeals backlog unnecessarily delays our nation\u2019s heroes from accessing the benefits they\u2019ve earned and is a concern that has been raised by many of my constituents. Our bill addresses BVA performance and staffing concerns by creating a level playing field with BVA and other federal agencies. When coupled with the quality assurance metrics and accountability measures we have recently pushed, this important piece of the legislation is a key part of the overall solution.\u201d\n\n\u201cAFGE and the National Veterans Affairs Council commend Representative Morgan McGarvey and Representative Gus Bilirakis for leading the Board of Veterans\u2019 Appeals Attorney Retention and Backlog Reduction Act,\u201d said Douglas Massey, President of AFGE Local 17 which represents Board of Veterans' Appeals attorneys. \u201cThis critical legislation will both raise the career ladder of the dedicated board attorneys who diligently process veterans' appeals and will improve the recruitment and retention of experienced attorneys at the Board, which will greatly reduce the backlog of Veterans' appeals.\"\n\nThe Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA) adjudicates appeals on veteran benefits, such as disability compensation and pension benefits. Though progress has been made, BVA faces a 200,000-case backlog with many citing staff turnover \u2013 due to lower relative compensation and lack of support by management \u2013 as the cause. The Board of Veterans\u2019 Appeals Attorney Retention and Backlog Reduction Act would raise the promotion potential for outstanding BVA attorneys in non-supervisory roles by about $10,000, which would allow BVA to better recruit and retain staff. The promotion opportunities for attorneys working on veterans claims have been reduced by VA, despite increased cost of living, which hurts recruitment and retention and means America's veterans will wait longer for their claims to be decided.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T00:15:27Z"]], "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://mcgarvey.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressmen-morgan-mcgarvey-gus-bilirakis-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-help-expedite-veterans-appeals-claims"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.353248953819275, "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"}