US HB3983

Secretary of Veterans Affairs must develop policies within one year to notify Veterans Benefits Administration employees when they commit avoidable deferrals on the same claim in the National Work Queue

Requires a study within one year to identify legal issues where VA Office of General Counsel opinions would improve decision consistency, including issues where the Office has issued inconsistent opinions on similar questions

Establishes a quality assurance program for Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions, requiring tracking of errors, remand trends, and specific Board members whose decisions were vacated by the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims

Changes performance reviews for Board members from every three years to annually, and creates a mandatory training program on timely and correct adjudication of appeals

Requires the Secretary to develop a plan within six months to improve quality of Board remand decisions and reduce unnecessary remands, with annual reporting to Congress on remand reasons