Efforts to boost VA recruitment and promote BOP mental health get another push from House members

In a time of uncertain federal spending, House members are trying again to bolster personnel resources at two different agencies plagued by staffing shortages with new benefits. 

Reps. Morgan McGarvey, D-Ky., and Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., reintroduced the Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney Retention and Backlog Reduction Act (H.R. 2303) on Monday to help whittle down a 200,000-case backlog of veterans’ claims appeals by offering the attorneys processing them new recruitment and retention incentives. 

The bill, first introduced in August 2024, aims to help tackle workforce challenges in the Veterans Affairs Department’s Board of Veterans’ Appeals by raising BVA attorneys in non-supervisory roles to GS-15 status, offering a potential $10,000 salary increase. 

BVA claims backlogs and staffing difficulties are not a new challenge. The Congressional Research Service found that in fiscal 2022, while the board rendered 95,294 decisions, it received 107,274 new cases and closed the year with 209,535 appeals pending. 

The board noted that year that increased focus on recruiting, including robust telework policies, helped add 135 personnel to a staff of just over 1,200, but that attrition rates were 8.4%. BVA officials have credited the increased staffing and appeals reform with it issuing more than 71,000 Appeals Modernization Act decisions in fiscal 2024, but pending decisions remained at more than 200,000. 

“The Veteran Appeals backlog unnecessarily delays our nation’s heroes from accessing the benefits they’ve earned and is a concern that has been raised by many of my constituents,” said Rep. Bilirakis in a statement. “Our bill addresses BVA performance and staffing concerns by creating a level playing field with BVA and other federal agencies. When coupled with the quality assurance metrics and accountability measures we have recently pushed, this important piece of the legislation is a key part of the overall solution.”

While the 2024 version of the legislation never made it out of committee, the new version will be heard in the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee on Wednesday.

New mental health grant programs for BOP officers

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, reintroduced legislation on Monday to provide Bureau of Prisons employees with mental health screenings and referrals for mental health care. 

The Corrections Officer Blake Schwarz Suicide Prevention Act (H.R. 2305) follows Miller-Meek’s 2024 version of legislation to establish grant programs funding mental health screenings for corrections officers at federal prisons and other facilities. 

The congresswoman said in a statement that she reintroduced the bill, named after an Iowa corrections officer who died by suicide, to help better address instances of depression, suicide and post-traumatic stress disorder, which she noted are high among correctional officers when compared to other law enforcement officials. 

“Two years ago today, Blake’s life was cut short. His story is a painful reminder that we must do better,” she said. “This bill takes action to get corrections officers the resources they deserve, break the stigma around mental health, and prevent future tragedies.”

The previous version of the bill was referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary in October 2024, but did not advance before the end of session.