The Department of Veterans Affairs has added four new judges to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, in an effort to expedite benefits claims. The new appointees are all judges specializing in veterans’ law. They will join the BVA’s current 60 members in adjudicating appeals by veterans who wish to challenge unfavorable decisions made by the VA in regard to their claims and benefits. The VA has been beset by huge backlogs in unsettled veterans’ claims; the addition is the department’s latest effort to get a grasp on the expanding caseload. Most cases involve disability compensation or pension claims, the VA states. For example, the BVA handled nearly 49,000 cases and decided nearly 44,000 appeals for fiscal year 2009 (Oct. 1, 2008, to Sept. 30, 2009).
