HR 4121 · 111th Congress 2009–2011, ended

Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2009

Introduced Nov 19, 2009 Originated House Sponsor John J. Hall D-NY

Latest action · Nov 20, 2009 Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

IntroducedNov 19, 2009
Passed HouseNot reached
Passed SenateNot reached
To the PresidentNot reached
Became lawNot reached

Summary

Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2009 - Provides that if a veteran claimant submits evidence in support of a case for which a substantive appeal has been filed to the Board of Veterans' Appeals, such evidence shall be submitted directly to the Board and not to a regional office of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), unless the claimant requests that the evidence first be reviewed by the regional office.

Empowers the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims to affirm, modify, reverse, remand, or vacate and remand a decision of the Board after deciding all relevant assignments of error raised on appeal. Provides that whenever the Court reverses a decision on the merits of a particular claim and orders an award of benefits, the Court need not decide any additional assignments of error relating to that claim.

Establishes the Veterans Judicial Review Commission to evaluate and make specific decisions to improve the administrative and judicial appellate review processes of veterans' and survivors' benefits determinations.

Cosponsors 113

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Nov 19, 2009 to Nov 15, 2010; 7 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
D-AZ	Ann Kirkpatrick	Original	Nov 19, 2009
R-CA	Brian P. Bilbray	Original	Nov 19, 2009
D-TX	Ciro D. Rodriguez	Original	Nov 19, 2009
D-IL	Deborah L. Halvorson	Original	Nov 19, 2009
R-CO	Doug Lamborn	Original	Nov 19, 2009
R-FL	Jeff Miller	Original	Nov 19, 2009
D-IN	Joe Donnelly	Original	Nov 19, 2009
D-AZ	Harry E. Mitchell		Aug 10, 2010
D-WI	Steve Kagen		Aug 10, 2010
D-MN	Timothy J. Walz		Aug 10, 2010
D-NY	Anthony D. Weiner		Sep 14, 2010
D-KY	Ben Chandler		Sep 14, 2010
D-CO	Betsy Markey		Sep 14, 2010
D-CA	Bob Filner		Sep 14, 2010
D-NY	Charles B. Rangel		Sep 14, 2010
D-MN	Collin C. Peterson		Sep 14, 2010
D-MD	Elijah E. Cummings		Sep 14, 2010
D-AS	Eni F. H. Faleomavaega		Sep 14, 2010
D-NM	Harry Teague		Sep 14, 2010
D-MA	James P. McGovern		Sep 14, 2010
D-CA	John Garamendi		Sep 14, 2010
D-MN	Keith Ellison		Sep 14, 2010
D-CA	Laura Richardson		Sep 14, 2010
R-NJ	Leonard Lance		Sep 14, 2010
D-MI	Mark H. Schauer		Sep 14, 2010
D-NY	Maurice D. Hinchey		Sep 14, 2010
D-NY	Michael A. Arcuri		Sep 14, 2010
R-CO	Mike Coffman		Sep 14, 2010
D-NC	Mike McIntyre		Sep 14, 2010
D-PA	Paul E. Kanjorski		Sep 14, 2010
D-NY	Paul Tonko		Sep 14, 2010
D-NJ	Steven R. Rothman		Sep 14, 2010
D-PA	Tim Holden		Sep 14, 2010
R-NC	Virginia Foxx		Sep 14, 2010
D-OH	Zachary T. Space		Sep 14, 2010
D-TX	Henry Cuellar		Sep 22, 2010
R-MO	Jo Ann Emerson		Sep 22, 2010
D-TX	Al Green		Sep 23, 2010
D-PA	Christopher P. Carney		Sep 23, 2010
D-IL	Daniel Lipinski		Sep 23, 2010
R-TN	David P. Roe		Sep 23, 2010
D-DC	Eleanor Holmes Norton		Sep 23, 2010
R-MI	Fred Upton		Sep 23, 2010
D-MI	Gary C. Peters		Sep 23, 2010
R-PA	Glenn Thompson		Sep 23, 2010
R-PA	Jim Gerlach		Sep 23, 2010
D-NY	Jose E. Serrano		Sep 23, 2010
D-FL	Kendrick B. Meek		Sep 23, 2010
D-OH	Mary Jo Kilroy		Sep 23, 2010
D-CA	Michael M. Honda		Sep 23, 2010
D-WV	Nick J. Rahall II		Sep 23, 2010
D-RI	Patrick J. Kennedy		Sep 23, 2010
D-VA	Robert C. "Bobby" Scott		Sep 23, 2010
D-WI	Ron Kind		Sep 23, 2010
D-NJ	Rush Holt		Sep 23, 2010
D-MO	Wm. Lacy Clay		Sep 23, 2010
D-CA	Adam B. Schiff		Sep 28, 2010
D-OH	Charles A. Wilson		Sep 28, 2010
D-TX	Chet Edwards		Sep 28, 2010
D-CT	Joe Courtney		Sep 28, 2010
D-OH	John A. Boccieri		Sep 28, 2010
D-MI	John Conyers, Jr.		Sep 28, 2010
R-MN	John Kline		Sep 28, 2010
D-NY	Nita M. Lowey		Sep 28, 2010
D-PA	Patrick J. Murphy		Sep 28, 2010
D-PA	Robert A. Brady		Sep 28, 2010
D-FL	Alan Grayson		Sep 29, 2010
D-PA	Allyson Y. Schwartz		Sep 29, 2010
D-MN	Betty McCollum		Sep 29, 2010
D-NJ	Bill Pascrell, Jr.		Sep 29, 2010
D-IL	Bobby L. Rush		Sep 29, 2010
D-NY	Brian Higgins		Sep 29, 2010
D-IA	Bruce L. Braley		Sep 29, 2010
D-NY	Carolyn B. Maloney		Sep 29, 2010
R-PA	Charles W. Dent		Sep 29, 2010
D-MI	Dale E. Kildee		Sep 29, 2010
D-NY	Daniel B. Maffei		Sep 29, 2010
D-NC	David E. Price		Sep 29, 2010
R-IL	Donald A. Manzullo		Sep 29, 2010
D-AZ	Ed Pastor		Sep 29, 2010
R-NJ	Frank A. LoBiondo		Sep 29, 2010
D-NY	Gary L. Ackerman		Sep 29, 2010
R-KY	Geoff Davis		Sep 29, 2010
D-VA	Glenn C. Nye		Sep 29, 2010
D-NC	Heath Shuler		Sep 29, 2010
D-GA	Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr.		Sep 29, 2010
D-CT	James A. Himes		Sep 29, 2010
D-PA	Jason Altmire		Sep 29, 2010
D-IL	Jesse L. Jackson, Jr.		Sep 29, 2010
D-CA	Joe Baca		Sep 29, 2010
D-CT	John B. Larson		Sep 29, 2010
D-FL	Kathy Castor		Sep 29, 2010
D-IA	Leonard L. Boswell		Sep 29, 2010
D-TX	Lloyd Doggett		Sep 29, 2010
D-CA	Lynn C. Woolsey		Sep 29, 2010
D-GU	Madeleine Z. Bordallo		Sep 29, 2010
D-PA	Michael F. Doyle		Sep 29, 2010
D-ME	Michael H. Michaud		Sep 29, 2010
D-MA	Niki Tsongas		Sep 29, 2010
R-GA	Phil Gingrey		Sep 29, 2010
D-IL	Phil Hare		Sep 29, 2010
D-MO	Russ Carnahan		Sep 29, 2010
D-TX	Silvestre Reyes		Sep 29, 2010
D-VA	Thomas S.P. Perriello		Sep 29, 2010
D-NY	Timothy H. Bishop		Sep 29, 2010
R-PA	Todd Russell Platts		Sep 29, 2010
D-ID	Walter Minnick		Sep 29, 2010
D-NY	William L. Owens		Sep 29, 2010
D-OH	Betty Sutton		Nov 15, 2010
D-CA	Judy Chu		Nov 15, 2010
D-NC	Larry Kissell		Nov 15, 2010
D-HI	Mazie K. Hirono		Nov 15, 2010
D-NY	Steve Israel		Nov 15, 2010

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

Chamber	Committee	What it did
House	Veterans' Affairs Committee	Referred Nov 19, 2009
	Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee	Referred Nov 20, 2009

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

Nov 20, 2009Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
Nov 19, 2009Introduced in House
Nov 19, 2009Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Research

What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Printed hearings 2

Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.

Number	Hearing	Committee	Held
S. Hrg. 111-597	THE FISCAL YEAR 2011 BUDGET FOR VETERANS' PROGRAMS245 pages	Veterans' Affairs Committee	Feb 26, 2010
Serial No. 111-59	U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS BUDGET REQUEST FOR FY 2011 AND FY 2012119 pages	Veterans' Affairs Committee	Feb 4, 2010

Titles 2

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced: To amend title 38, United States Code, to improve the appeals process of the Department of Veterans Affairs, to establish a commission to study judicial review of the determination of veterans' benefits, and for other purposes.
Short Titles as Introduced: Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2009

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

Nov 19, 2009Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.