# 119-hr-1471: VA Appeals Reform Act of 2025 119-hr-1471, VA Appeals Reform Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5] (D-NJ); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1471 - As of: 2026-04-21 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-hr-1471 - Congress: 119 - Title: VA Appeals Reform Act of 2025 - Status: introduced - Introduced: 2025-02-21 - Sponsor: Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5] (D-NJ) - Cosponsors: 0 - Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-04-21 ## Summary **Modernize and speed veterans' benefits appeals.** This bill would rewrite how the Department of Veterans Affairs handles claims and appeals to give veterans clearer notices, tighter timelines, and an electronic filing system. - Veterans and claimants: Notices would list missing elements, diagnostic codes, and a summary of rights on denial. The bill would create an expedited remand or return pathway with a 90-day deadline to act after a remand and allow limited supplementation of the record. - Attorneys and representatives: It would authorize attorney fees for filing notices of intent to appeal, capped at the lesser of $200 or 20 percent of the attorney's initial payment. Representatives would get electronic access to case files and broader access to medical records for appeals. - Adjudicators and courts: The bill would add training and performance reviews for Administrative Law Judges and Board members, standardize hearing schedules and transcripts, and require a modern electronic case management system. It would also expand the jurisdiction and scope of review at the Veterans Claims court and allow trial de novo review for certain appeals. ## Provisions PRIA read - Clearer VA notices and records access: benefit, medium. If enacted, VA would have to give key claim documents within 90 days of your request. Notices of denial would name what was missing, cite pages and rules, and list the diagnostic codes used. Your medical records could be shared with you and your attorney for appeals. You could get a free hearing tr… - Faster remands and fair hearing timelines: benefit, medium. If enacted, when your claim is returned or remanded, VA would have 90 days to finish required actions. The Board could extend that 90-day deadline for good cause if you ask. The same Board member could not handle a remanded case again. After you file a notice of disagreement, the Board would hold a… - Stronger ways to fix VA errors: benefit, medium. If enacted, more supplemental claims would get a full new review when you add new and material evidence, when the Board finds a clear error, or when a new law lets you file. You could add evidence during higher‑level review. If the reviewer finds the original office missed its duty to assist before… - Cap on attorney fee to appeal: benefit, low. If enacted, when you hire an attorney to file a notice of intent to appeal, the fee could not exceed the lesser of $200 or 20% of your initial payment to the attorney. - File VA appeals online, one docket: benefit, low. If enacted, VA would build an online case system so you and your attorney can upload appeal documents (PDF or common formats). VA would train approved attorneys within one year. The upload feature would start within 180 days after enactment. The Board would also use a single docket to track hearing… - Tighter oversight of VA Board judges: benefit, low. If enacted, Board members would face regular performance reviews: at least once one year after standards are set, then at least every three years, and again if over 60% of their decisions are remanded in a year. Retired military judges serving as acting Board members would generally be limited to 1… - Bigger court review of VA appeals: mixed, medium. If enacted, the Veterans Claims Court would review VA decisions and facts from scratch (trial de novo) and use an 'arbitrary and capricious' standard in place of 'clearly erroneous' in one part of its review. The bill would also change where appeals from that court are filed, adjusting which courts… ## Related bills - 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025 - 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025 - 119-hr-3077: Agriculture Resilience Act of 2025 - 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act - 119-hr-8516: American Leadership in AI Act - 119-hr-3633: Digital Asset Market Clarity Act ## Sources - [119-hr-1471 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1471) ## Related - [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151) - [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669) - [119-hr-3077: Agriculture Resilience Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3077) - [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973) - [119-hr-8516: American Leadership in AI Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8516) - [119-hr-3633: Digital Asset Market Clarity Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3633) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1471 (as of 2026-04-21).