To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for an increase in the maximum number of judges who may be appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1530) to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the requirement to publish disability benefit questionnaire forms of Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 1530, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1530, as amended, offered by my friend from Texas and our Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs chairman, Representative Luttrell.

I also congratulate Representative Luttrell on this bill as it is his first one to come before the floor since coming to Congress.

Now, this bill would make vitally important improvements to the VA's disability claims process for veterans applying for benefits, and I am grateful to my fellow veteran for his work on it.

It is no secret that the VA disability claims process is lengthy and difficult, but Mr. Luttrell's bill is the right solution to modernize the process, an example of which would be the requirement for VA to publish disability benefits questionnaire forms on the VA's website to ease access between veterans and providers completing disability claims.

This is a commonsense change that honestly we should have done a long time ago. This bill also includes Representative Ciscomani's legislation to create a new internship program at the Board of Veterans' Appeals. This program would offer certain incentives to legal interns to get them into VA and fighting for veterans while also addressing hiring and retention challenges at the board head on.

Lastly, this bill includes Representative Self's proposal to make sure that the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims has enough judges to process the backlog of appeals and expected growth since the passage of the PACT Act last year.

These commonsense solutions should help us make the claims process a little easier to navigate for veterans and their families. It would also provide the courts with the additional resources we know they need to manage the workload coming in from the board.

Once again, I thank Representative Luttrell, Mr. Self, and Mr. Ciscomani for their work on this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1530, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Luttrell), the chairman of the DAMA Subcommittee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Self).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Ciscomani).

Madam Speaker, I encourage all Members to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I rise as a strong supporter of H.R. 1530, the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2023, which, among other things, would amend title 38 of the United States Code to improve the requirement to publish disability benefit questionnaire forms of Department of Veterans Affairs.

Veterans are some of America's most valued members of society.

These are people who served our nation in a time of need, people who risked their lives to protect our country.

Yet, it pains me to say that many of these same veterans who fought so bravely and risked so much in lands abroad have come back to their nation and have limited access to veterans' outreach programs, particularly in areas with large concentration of veterans.

There are approximately 18.5 million veterans in the United States.

Of those veterans, 1.5 million reside in Texas--the largest veteran population of any state.

This legislation is necessary because veterans have special needs that are unique from those faced by the rest of the population.

In 2015, I was proud to introduce the H.E.R.O.E.S. Act, which offers assistance and materials to help veterans transition from the battlefield to the workplace.

The Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2023 is a step closer towards building a smooth transition for our nation's heroes.

H.R. 1530 helps to address the shortcomings in veteran assistance by increasing and extending assistance programs as well as scholarships through the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2023 holds the Secretary of Veterans Affairs responsible to improve its support of veterans through outreach; reimbursement for medical disability-related travel; professional development activities; and access to Board of Veterans' Appeals telehearings.

This comprehensive program is needed if we are to fight this scourge that is a blight upon our nation.

Our nation's veterans did not risk their lives abroad so that they could come home and not receive the support and benefits they so desperately need.

We must all have outrage that so many of our nation's veterans live without critical support services; we must continue to proactively find ways to correct this injustice.

Madam Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Takano for yielding. I rise today in support of this bipartisan legislation, the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act.

As ranking member of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, I am honored to be able to partner with the subcommittee chair, Mr. Luttrell, on this legislation. I thank him for working in a bipartisan fashion to ensure that our veterans can access the benefits and services that they are owed.

We all have a solemn obligation to ensure that the needs of veterans are met. We know that too many of our heroes encounter red tape, delays, and backlogs when trying to access benefits. My office has spoken with countless veterans across New Hampshire who have had trouble completing and filing disability benefits questionnaires due to a lack of clear and timely communication.

Often, our office will step in when things go awry along the way and advocate on their behalf with VA, but veterans shouldn't have to reach out to yet another office just to navigate these processes, which are all too complicated.

By improving transparency and accessibility for those filing a disability claim, as well as communications between veterans, their accredited representatives, and contractors, we can make sure that veterans receive the support that they have earned.

As we see more veterans file claims as a result of the PACT Act, it is so crucial that we have steps in place that are going to improve these processes as soon as possible.

Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation, which will help reduce the VA claims backlog and minimize delays that too many of our veterans are facing today.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to be here today to talk about H.R. 1530, as amended, the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2023.

We have an obligation to support our veterans who served and sacrificed for our country. However, there is currently a lot of red tape that prevents veterans from easily accessing the disability benefits they have earned from the VA.

This bill takes important steps to identify and break down these barriers in the disability exam process, ensuring our veterans receive the highest quality care and support.

This bill would make several improvements, including clarifying publishing requirements for disability benefits questionnaire forms on VA's website and easing communication about the scheduling of disability exams between contract examiners, veterans, and veterans' representatives so that the veterans do not miss their appointments.

Madam Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Pappas and my colleagues, Representatives Ciscomani and Self, for working with me to include their respective legislation in this amendment. All of their provisions will take steps to provide VA with the resources they need to address the backlog of appeals, especially since the passage of the PACT Act last year, as well as mitigate the recruiting and retention problems at the board to get new lawyers in the door for our veterans.

I know firsthand how cumbersome the disability claims process can be, and it is past time to modernize these efforts.

I am proud to have a bill on the floor that will make improvements for my fellow veterans going through the VA claims process.

Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1530, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise to express my support for H.R. 1530, as amended, the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act.

I thank the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee Chairman Luttrell and Ranking Member Pappas for working in a bipartisan manner on the issues in this package. I commend Representatives Ciscomani and McGarvey for their contributions, as well.

Madam Speaker, this bill makes several important changes that will serve to help streamline the medical disability exam process for veterans.

It will also help strengthen recruitment, hiring, and retention at the Board of Veterans' Appeals by creating a new internship program for law students and will expand the reimbursement programs for current employees to include student loans, professional development activities, and bar dues.

This bill will also permanently expand the number of judges appointed to the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, allowing the court to process cases faster and grant veterans and survivors the relief they deserve.

Madam Speaker, I support H.R. 1530, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Pappas), my good friend, the ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs' Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.

Madam Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 1530, as amended, the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.