BVA Attorney Retention Bill Creates GS-15 Pay Path for Non-Supervisory Staff to Reduce Veterans' Appeals Backlog

This bill, officially titled the Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney Retention and Backlog Reduction Act, takes a very targeted approach to improving efficiency at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Specifically, Section 2 creates a new, higher pay ceiling for attorneys working at the Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA) who do not have supervisory responsibilities. By amending Section 7101A(b) of title 38, United States Code, the legislation allows these experienced, non-supervisory attorneys to be promoted all the way up to the GS-15 pay grade.

The GS-15 Gold Star: Why the Pay Bump Matters

Think of the BVA as the last stop for veterans appealing claims denied by the VA. The attorneys working there are critical to processing these appeals, and the BVA has long struggled with a massive backlog. In the federal system, the General Schedule (GS) pay scale determines salary, and GS-15 is the highest non-executive level. Before this change, an experienced attorney who preferred to focus solely on complex legal work—rather than managing people—might have hit a pay wall, forcing them to take a management job just to advance their career and salary. This bill removes that barrier. It’s a direct move to retain seasoned legal talent who are experts in veterans law, ensuring they can stay focused on the appeals themselves without having to become managers.

Backlog Reduction by Retention

This isn't just about giving lawyers a raise; it’s a strategic move to clear the queue for veterans. Every time a highly skilled BVA attorney leaves for a higher-paying job elsewhere, the BVA loses valuable institutional knowledge, and a new attorney must be trained. That training time translates directly into longer wait times for veterans awaiting decisions on disability claims, medical coverage, or education benefits. By offering a career ladder that tops out at GS-15, the bill aims to stabilize the workforce. The logic is simple: keep the experts happy and working on cases, and the appeals backlog shrinks faster. For a veteran waiting on a critical decision, this provision means the BVA is less likely to suffer from high turnover, which should, in theory, speed up their case.

The Real-World Impact on Government Work

This provision is a smart piece of policy for any organization relying on technical experts. It acknowledges that not everyone wants to be a manager, but that highly specialized, non-supervisory work should still be rewarded with top-tier compensation. For the BVA, this means they can now compete better with private sector and other federal agencies for attorneys specializing in complex administrative law. While the bill doesn't guarantee the backlog will vanish overnight, it addresses a fundamental structural issue in government employment—the need to reward expertise and performance without forcing excellent individual contributors into supervisory roles they may not want or be suited for. It’s a clear, low-vagueness provision that directly benefits the attorneys and indirectly benefits veterans by stabilizing the appeals process.