On Tuesday, the Senate passed the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017. This important bill is the product of years of discussion and work between the VFW, Congress, VA and other veterans organizations to create a streamlined, non-adversarial, process for veterans to appeal a decision on their VA benefits claims. The measure would allow certain veterans already going through the appeals process to opt in to the new system. The bill also requires the VA to provide a comprehensive plan for both implementing the new system and processing the existing appeals. Currently, over half a million veterans are awaiting a response to their existing appeals.