S. 1024: Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017

115th Congress · introduced 2017-05-03 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 166.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2017-05-03 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Isakson, Johnny [R-GA] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 166. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017

Plain summary

Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 This bill revises the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability claims appeals system. The bill permits a veteran to appeal within one year by: (1) requesting a review of the agency of original jurisdiction's (AOJ) decision by a higher-level adjudicator within AOJ using the same evidentiary record; (2) filing a supplemental claim with a regional office that includes the opportunity to submit additional evidence and have a hearing; or (3) appealing directly to the Board of Veterans' Appeals, with the opportunity to select an expedited review to submit new evidence but without a hearing, or to select a review with the option to submit new evidence and request a hearing. A veteran may: (1) maintain the original effective date of a claim if he or she submits new and relevant evidence within one year of the most recent decision, and (2) retain the services of attorneys and accredited agents who charge a fee when the AOJ provides notice of the original decision. The VA's statutory duty to assist a veteran terminates after the original decision. The bill: (1) requires the VA to issue decision notification letters, (2) permits certain veterans who initiated an appeal prior to the bill's effective date to opt-in to the new appeals system, (3) authorizes the VA to conduct a pilot program to test such system, and (4) requires the VA, prior to full implementation, to certify to Congress that it has sufficient resources and personnel to carry out the legacy and new appeals systems.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Isakson, Johnny [R-GA] · 31 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: S. 1024, Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 (2017-07-05)

Cosponsors on this site

Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Steve Daines (R-MT), Margaret Wood Hassan (D-NH), Angus S. King, Jr. (I-ME), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Susan M. Collins (R-ME), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), John Thune (R-SD), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hoeven (R-ND), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Roger F. Wicker (R-MS)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Jurisdiction: The area or the matters a government or court has authority over.
Statute: A written law passed by a legislature. A statute can be changed by a later law; changing a constitution needs an amendment.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115s1024.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/s>

Record fed-us-cong115-s1024 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115