On December 23rd, S. 2513, the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2024 became law. It was introduced by Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) as his final act as the former Senate Veterans Affairs Committee chairman. He lost his election last October.

It was long overdue, and it contains a large number of improvements! It improves the disability benefit questionnaire forms, (which helps veterans in their disability claims processing) and provisions for medical disability examinations by the contractors. It also requires a report on the feasibility of providing enhanced access to certain systems to governmental veterans’ service officers, whether the VA would benefit from the establishment of an intergovernmental liaison between the VA and the governmental veterans’ service officers, and any other recommendations that may improve how the VA monitors, coordinates with or provides support to covered governmental veterans service officers.

This bill also creates an internship program for the Board of Veterans’ Appeals for those enrolled in the first or second year of law schools accredited by the American Bar Association. Another aspect of the bill is the establishment of benefits for those laypersons who work for the Department of Veterans Affairs like student loan repayment, a mentorship program, and an occupational assignment program. The last two items include an increase on additional temporary expansion of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and a report on improving access to Board of Veterans’ Appeals tele-hearings.