A bill co-authored by 5th District Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty has been signed into law by the President. 

Esty is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.  The measure aims to modernize the appeals process at the Department of Veterans Affairs to cut down on the claims backlog and reduce delays. 

Under the current system, Esty says veterans must often wait five years or longer for their appeals to be resolved.  There are 470,000 pending appeals nationwide.  She hopes this bill will provide all veterans with the timely compensation they deserve for the injuries they sustained in service to this country. 

The Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act creates three avenues for veterans' appeals to move through the system more efficiently.  One path involves an adjudicator to review the same evidence considered by the original claims processor; another is for the veteran to submit new evidence for review and have a hearing; and the last moves jurisdiction for the appeal immediately to the Board of Veterans' Appeals.