On Sept 10, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) exceeded its goal, three weeks ahead of schedule, to deliver 90,050 appeals decisions regarding disability benefits and services to Veterans in fiscal year 2019, approximately 9,000 more decisions than the previous year.
The Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) also hit a record, by providing more than 21,000 hearings in FY 2019, 5,000 more hearings that past year.
“The Board of Veterans’ Appeals provided thousands of Veterans with critical, life-changing appellate decisions,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “The Board surpassed its goal for delivering results to Veterans and their families for the second year in a row. This reflects VA’s continued commitment to providing excellent customer service to Veterans.VA is committed to reducing the backlog of legacy appeals and ensuring that Veterans receive the benefits they deserve.”
This achievement in surpassing last year’s number of decisions comes while VA concurrently implemented the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017. The act offers Veterans choice and control over their appeals and provides for a more timely and transparent process.
To aid in achieving this historic goal, the Board focused on hiring attorneys and judges, reorganized its structure, instituted various training and implemented modern technology changes. Utilizing modern technologies is one way the Board continues to adapt to the changing needs of the Veteran population.
For more information about the Board and its progress on appeals modernization, visit https://www.bva.va.gov.
Reporters and media outlets with questions or comments should contact the Office of Media Relations at vapublicaffairs@va.gov
Veterans with questions about their health care and benefits (including GI Bill). Questions, updates and documents can be submitted online.
Veterans can also use our chatbot to get information about VA benefits and services. The chatbot won’t connect you with a person, but it can show you where to go on VA.gov to find answers to some common questions.
Subscribe today to receive these news releases in your inbox.
More from the Press Room
News Releases
Since the start of 2026, more than 200,000 Veterans have enrolled in VA healthcare.
News Releases
VA and Steak ‘n Shake team to promote VA benefits and services and make it easier for Veterans to become owner-operators of Steak ‘n Shake franchises.
News Releases
VA's backlog of Veterans waiting for VA disability compensation and pension benefit claims fell below 70,000 for the first time since February 2020, during the first Trump Administration.
