,,ii  #aadth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #abhf  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,may #aa1 #bjae
 ,mrs4 ,shaheen 7for herself1 ,mr4      
,leahy1 ,ms4 ,baldwin1 ,mr4 ,cardin1    
,mr4 ,bennet1 ,mr4 ,brown1 ,ms4         
,klobuchar1 ,mr4 ,udall1 and ,mr4       
,whitehouse7 introduced the following   
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs
  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend title #ch1       
,united ,states ,code1 to reduce the    
backlog of appeals of decisions of the  
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs by     
facilitating pro bono legal assistance  
for veterans before the ,united ,states 
,court of ,veterans ,appeals and the    
,board of ,veterans' ,appeals1 to       
provide the ,secretary with authority to
 address unreasonably delayed claims1   
and for other purposes4  #a4 ,short     
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,veterans ,appeals ,assistance and      
,improvement ,act of #bjae4  #b4        
,program of financial assistance for    

support of programs that furnish legal  
assistance to veterans seeking review by
 ,united ,states ,court of ,appeals for 
,veterans ,claims  7a7 ,in general      
,chapter #ei of title #ch1 ,united      
,states ,code1 is amended by adding at  
the end the following new section3      
#eijf4 ,program of financial assistance 
for support of programs that furnish    
legal assistance to veterans seeking    
review by ,united ,states ,court of     
,appeals for ,veterans ,claims  7a7 ,in 
general ,the ,united ,states ,court of  
,appeals for ,veterans ,claims shall    
establish a program for the provision of
 financial assistance 7through grant or 
contract made1 to the maximum extent    
feasible7 to facilitate the furnishing  
of legal and other assistance1 without  
charge1 through programs described in   
subsection 7b71 for veterans and other  
persons who are unable to afford the    
cost of legal representation in         
connection with decisions to which      
section #gbeb7;a7 of this title may     

apply or with other proceedings in the  
,united ,states ,court of ,appeals for  
,veterans ,claims4  7b7 ,programs       
described ,programs described in this   
subsection are programs that furnish    
case screening and referral1 training   
and education for attorney and related  
personnel1 and encouragement and        
facilitation of pro bono representation 
by members of the bar and law school    
clinical and other appropriate programs1
 such as veterans service organizations1
 and through defraying expenses incurred
 in providing representation to persons 
described in subsection 7a74  7c7 ,legal
 ,services ,corporation  7#a7 ,the      
,united ,states ,court of ,appeals for  
,veterans ,claims shall carry out       
subsection 7a7 by entering into an      
interagency agreement with the ,legal   
,services ,corporation4 ,the agreement  
shall specify that the ,corporation     
shall carry out the financial assistance
 program described in subsection 7a74   
7#b7 ,grants or contracts awarded under 

the financial assistance program        
described in subsection 7a7 shall be    
made by the ,legal ,services            
,corporation pursuant to a reimbursable 
payment from the ,court in accordance   
with this section4  7#c7 ,the ,legal    
,services ,corporation may receive a    
reimbursable payment from the ,court for
 the purpose of providing the financial 
assistance described in subsection 7a74 
7d7 ,limitation on use of funds ,no     
funds appropriated or otherwise made    
available to carry out this section may 
be used for the payment of attorney's   
fees4  7e7 ,authorization of            
appropriations ,there is authorized to  
be appropriated to carry out this       
section #c1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal   
years #bjae through #bjah4  4  7b7      
,clerical amendment ,the table of       
sections at the beginning of chapter #ei
 is amended by inserting after the item 
relating to section #eije the following 
new item3  #eijf4 ,program of financial 
assistance for support of programs that 

furnish legal assistance to veterans    
seeking review by ,united ,states ,court
 of ,appeals for ,veterans ,claims4  4  
#c4 ,program of financial assistance for
 support of programs that furnish legal 
assistance to veterans seeking review by
 ,board of ,veterans' ,appeals  7a7 ,in 
general ,chapter #ei of title #ch1      
,united ,states ,code1 as amended by    
section #b7;a71 is further amended by   
adding at the end the following new     
section3  #eijg4 ,program of financial  
assistance for support of programs that 
furnish legal assistance to veterans    
seeking review by ,board of ,veterans'  
,appeals  7a7 ,in general ,the          
,secretary shall establish a program for
 the provision of financial assistance  
7through grant or contract made1 to the 
maximum extent feasible7 to facilitate  
the furnishing of legal and other       
assistance1 without charge1 through     
programs described in subsection 7b71 to
 veterans and other persons who are     
unable to afford the cost of legal      

representation in connection with       
decisions to which section #gajd of this
 title may apply or with other          
proceedings of the ,board of ,veterans' 
,appeals4  7b7 ,programs described      
,programs described in this subsection  
are programs that furnish case screening
 and referral1 training and education   
for attorney and related personnel1 and 
encouragement and facilitation of pro   
bono representation by members of the   
bar and law school clinical and other   
appropriate programs1 such as veterans  
service organizations1 and through      
defraying expenses incurred in providing
 representation to persons described in 
subsection 7a74  7c7 ,legal ,services   
,corporation  7#a7 ,the ,secretary shall
 carry out subsection 7a7 by entering   
into an interagency agreement with the  
,legal ,services ,corporation4 ,the     
agreement shall specify that the        
,corporation shall carry out the        
financial assistance program described  
in subsection 7a74  7#b7 ,grants or     

contracts awarded under the financial   
assistance program described in         
subsection 7a7 shall be made by the     
,legal ,services ,corporation pursuant  
to a reimbursable payment from the      
,secretary in accordance with this      
section4  7#c7 ,the ,legal ,services    
,corporation may receive a reimbursable 
payment from the ,secretary for the     
purpose of providing the financial      
assistance described in subsection 7a74 
7d7 ,limitation on use of funds ,no     
funds appropriated or otherwise made    
available to carry out this section may 
be used for the payment of attorney's   
fees4  7e7 ,authorization of            
appropriations ,there is authorized to  
be appropriated to carry out this       
section #c1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal   
years #bjae through #bjah4  4  7b7      
,clerical amendment ,the table of       
sections at the beginning of chapter    
#ei1 as amended by section #b7;b71 is   
further amended by inserting after the  
item relating to section #eijf the      

following new item3  #eijg4 ,program of 
financial assistance for support of     
programs that furnish legal assistance  
to veterans seeking review by ,board of 
,veterans' ,appeals4  4  #d4 ,expedited 
treatment of unreasonably delayed claims
  7a7 ,in general ,section #gaab of     
title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is    
amended to read as follows3  #gaab4     
,expedited treatment of remanded or     
unreasonably delayed claims  7a7 ,in    
general ,the ,secretary shall take such 
actions as may be necessary to provide  
for the expeditious treatment by the    
,board of any claim that--  7#a7 is     
remanded to the ,secretary by the ,court
 of ,appeals for ,veterans ,claims2 or  
7#b7 has been subjected to unreasonable 
or excessive delay4  7b7 ,unreasonable  
or excessive delay ,for purposes of this
 section1 a claim shall be presumed to  
have been subjected to unreasonable or  
excessive delay if the claim has been   
pending before the ,board for eight     
years or more4  4  7b7 ,clerical        

amendment ,the table of sections at the 
beginning of chapter #ga of such title  
is amended by striking the item relating
 to section #gaab and inserting the     
following new item #gaab3  #gaab4       
,expedited treatment of remanded or     
unreasonably delayed claims4  4  #e4    
,comptroller ,general of the ,united    
,states review of appeals of decisions  
of ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs     
regarding claims for disability         
compensation  7a7 ,in general ,not later
 than #ahj days after the date of the   
enactment of this ,act1 the ,comptroller
 ,general of the ,united ,states shall--
  7#a7 complete a review of the         
processing of appeals of decisions of   
the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs    
regarding claims for compensation under 
chapters #aa and #ac of title #ch1      
,united ,states ,code2 and  7#b7 submit 
to ,congress a report on the review     
completed under paragraph 7#a74  7b7    
,elements ,the review required by       
subsection 7a77#a7 shall include the    

following3  7#a7 ,assessment of the     
regional offices of the ,department of  
,veterans ,affairs1 the ,board of       
,veterans' ,appeals1 and the ,united    
,states ,court of ,appeals for ,veterans
 ,claims4  7#b7 ,examination of         
prolonged delays in processing appeals  
described in subsection 7a77#a7 and     
assessment of whether reviews of such   
appeals are meeting statutory           
requirements for timeliness4  7#c7      
,recommendations for such legislative   
and administrative action as the        
,comptroller ,general considers         
appropriate to improve the processing of
 such appeals4