VA Can No Longer Deny Benefit Claims Solely for Missing a Medical Exam

The “Review Every Veteran’s Claim Act of 2025” is making a crucial, common-sense change to how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) handles benefit claims. Essentially, this bill stops the VA from automatically rejecting a veteran’s claim just because they missed a scheduled medical examination. This is a big deal for fairness and cuts down on administrative pitfalls that often trip up deserving veterans.

The Automatic Denial Button is Gone

Under current law, missing a VA-scheduled medical exam could often lead to a swift denial of a benefit claim. Section 2 of this new Act removes that practice. The bill clarifies that the VA cannot use the missed appointment as the sole reason to deny any claim for benefits. This update broadens the protection, moving the rule from only applying to “compensation claims” to covering all “claims for benefits” administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Section 2, amending 38 U.S. Code § 5103A(d)).

Think about it: life happens. A veteran might miss an appointment due to a sudden flare-up of their condition, a family emergency, or simply a logistical nightmare getting to a VA facility hours away. Previously, that missed slot could torpedo their entire claim, forcing them to start the long process over. Now, even if the veteran misses the appointment, the VA must still review all the other evidence—medical records, service history, buddy statements—before making a decision. They have to look at the whole picture, not just the attendance sheet.

What This Means for the Claims Process

For the veteran filing a claim, this provision acts as a safety net. It ensures that the merit of their claim—the actual evidence of their service-connected disability—is what determines the outcome, not an administrative hiccup. For example, if a veteran submits years of private medical records showing a debilitating back injury, and then misses the VA’s Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam because their car broke down, the VA must still consider those years of records rather than issuing an immediate denial.

On the administrative side, this change means the VA can no longer use a quick denial based on non-attendance to clear its queue. This will likely require VA claims processors to spend more time reviewing evidence on claims that would have previously been denied quickly. While this could potentially slow down the overall process slightly, the trade-off is a much fairer, more comprehensive review for veterans who often struggle with the complexity and logistics of the VA system. It shifts the focus back to the veteran’s actual need, which is exactly where it should be.