Joined by Maine Veterans, King Calls on Congress to Pass Bill Improving Appeals Process for Benefits

Press Release

Flanked by Maine veterans who have been mired in the bureaucratic mess of a broken appeals process at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today called on Congress to pass the Department of Veterans Affairs Appeals Modernization Act. The legislation, which Senator King has cosponsored, would overhaul the current VA system to provide veterans with clear and timelier options after receiving an initial appeals decision from the VA. The current process has not been updated since 1933 and there are more than 450,000 appeals pending nationwide.

In calling on Congress to advance the bill, Senator King released the text of a letter he sent today to the leaders of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, in which he urged them to schedule a hearing on the legislation to begin moving it forward.

"As you are both well aware, today, there are currently more than 450,000 appeals cases pending nationwide, mired in the bureaucratic limbo of a system that has not been updated since the administration of President Franklin Roosevelt in the 1930s. The sad result of this red tape debacle is a growing collection of veterans from across Maine and the nation who may have been denied the benefits they are entitled to and have rightfully earned. As one Maine veteran once conveyed to me: "It seems as if the VA is just kicking the can down the road until I kick the bucket.' This process is failing our veterans and every day that we do not take action to rectify this problem is a day that we have failed them as well," Senator King wrote.

"Thus, I hope that we can work in an expeditious manner to move this consensus bill forward. As I said when this bill was first introduced, justice delayed is justice denied," he continued. "It is time to stop delaying and it's time to finally modernize this process to ensure that our veterans get the benefits they deserve. I urge the Committee to hold a hearing on the Department of Veterans Affairs Appeals Modernization Act so that the Senate can move to passage of the bill."

Senator King's call comes in the wake of a recent report from the Government Accountability Office warning that, if no action is taken, veterans may have to wait an average of 8.5 years by fiscal year 2026 to have their appeals resolved. The report highlights inefficiencies in the current process and recommends that the process be significantly reformed -- as the Department of Veterans Affairs Appeals Modernization Act would do.

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