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Administrative tribunal within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) is an administrative tribunal within the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), located in Washington, D.C. Established in the 1930s, it determines whether U.S. military veterans are entitled to claimed veterans' benefits and services. The Board's mission is to conduct hearings and decide appeals properly before the Board in a timely manner.[1] The Board's jurisdiction extends to all questions in matters involving a decision by the Secretary under a law that affects a provision of benefits by the Secretary to Veterans, their dependents, or their Survivors.[2] Final decision on such appeals are made by the Board based on the entire record in the proceedings and upon consideration of all evidence and applicable provisions of law and regulation.[3] The Board's review is de novo.
Flag of the Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals and Assistant Secretary of Veterans' Affairs | |
Agency overview | |
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Formed | July 21, 1930; 93 years ago (1930-07-21) (Cabinet rank 15 March 1989) |
Type | Appellate review board for decisions made by VA agencies, on behalf of the Secretary |
Jurisdiction | United States federal government |
Status | Active |
Headquarters | Veteran Affairs Building 810 Vermont Avenue NW., Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Employees | 108 Veterans Law Judges 770 Attorney-advisers Non-attorney staff: unknown |
Annual budget | $196 million (FY 2021) $228 million (requested; FY 2022) |
Agency executives |
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Parent department | Department of Veterans Affairs |
Website | www.bva.va.gov |
In Fiscal Year 2018, the Board issued over 81,000 decisions[4] for Veterans and their families, which is the highest number of decisions issued by the Board since the 1988 enactment of the Veterans' Judicial Review Act (VJRA), which established the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC). The Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 total of 85,288 decisions is a 62% increase over the FY 17 total of 52,537. Additionally, the Board held 16,422 hearings. The Board continued its improved output and hearings in 2019, 2020, and 2021 - doubling the number of decisions held in 4 years time -increasing decisions issued to more than 100,000 and hearings held to over 23,000. Additionally, the Board implemented innovative changes ranging from the Interactive Decision Template tool to Virtual Tele-hearing opportunities using cell phones. The Board began a strong recruitment of veterans and military spouses across several positions to include Veterans Law Judges, attorneys, and administrative and operations personnel to enhance and improve service to veterans and their families.
The current chairman of the Board is Cheryl L. Mason of Virginia, who was nominated by President Trump on September 5, 2017.[5] Chairman Mason was confirmed by the Senate on November 8, 2017, and was sworn in by then-Secretary David J. Shulkin, on December 3, 2017. On April 15, 2022, President Biden announced his intention to nominate Jaime Areizaga-Soto to replace Chairman Mason.