H.R. 6698: Board of Veterans Appeals Annual Report Transparency Act of 2025
Sponsor
Keith Self
Republican · TX-3
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Mar 26, 2026
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Why it matters
Introduced on 2025-12-12, HR 6698 would require the Board of Veterans’ Appeals to publicly spell out exactly why appeals are running late and why cases are being remanded, giving Congress and veterans clearer evidence about where the system is breaking down now.
HR 6698, the Board of Veterans Appeals Annual Report Transparency Act of 2025, is a narrow reporting bill, but it targets a real accountability gap. It amends section 7101(d) of title 38, United States Code, to require the Chairman of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals to do more than report totals. The chairman would have to identify the specific factors behind delays and remands and show how often each factor appears.
For untimely decisions, the bill focuses on cases pending before the Board under the “new appeals system” during the reporting year that were not disposed of in a timely manner by the end of that year. Timeliness is tied to the standard in section 7101(a) of title 38, and the term “new appeals system” is defined by section 6 of the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017, Public Law 115–55; 131 Stat. 1127. For each factor that contributed to an untimely disposition, the annual report would have to list both the number of cases affected and the percentage of cases affected.
The remand requirement is broader. It covers cases pending before the Board during the reporting year in both the new system and the legacy system that were remanded during that year. For those remanded cases, the chairman would again have to identify the factors behind the remand and provide, for each factor, the number of cases and the percentage of cases to which that factor contributed. That means Congress and the public would get a clearer breakdown of whether remands are being driven by recurring evidence problems, procedural mistakes, or other repeat issues.
The bill does not create new benefits, penalties, deadlines, or funding streams. Instead, it creates a more detailed reporting duty for one official: the Chairman of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals within the Department of Veterans Affairs. If enacted, the practical effect would be better data for oversight. Lawmakers, veterans’ advocates, and claimants could compare annual reports and see not just how many appeals are delayed or remanded, but exactly which causes are showing up most often and in what share of cases.
What does H.R. 6698 do?
Chairman must explain late cases in annual report
HR 6698 amends section 7101(d) of title 38, United States Code, to require the Chairman of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals to identify factors contributing to cases under the “new appeals system” that were pending during the reporting year and were not disposed of in a timely manner by the end of that year.
Every delay factor must include number and percentage
For each factor behind an untimely disposition, the annual report must provide two hard data points: the number of cases to which the factor contributed and the percentage of cases to which the factor contributed, under new section 7101(d)(2)(H).
Remand reporting covers both appeal systems
The bill adds section 7101(d)(2)(I), requiring reporting on cases pending before the Board during the reporting year that were remanded during that year, and this remand requirement applies to both the new appeals system and the legacy appeals system.
Remand causes also need counts and percentages
For remanded cases, the Chairman of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals must identify each factor contributing to the remand and report, for each factor, the number of cases affected and the percentage of cases affected during the reporting year.
Uses existing legal definition from 2017 law
The bill does not invent a new meaning for the “new appeals system.” It uses the definition in section 6 of the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017, Public Law 115–55; 131 Stat. 1127, tying the reporting requirement to an existing statutory framework.
Timeliness measured under existing section 7101(a)
Whether a case was disposed of 'in a timely manner' is not left vague: the bill points to the standard in section 7101(a) of title 38, meaning the Board’s new reporting must be measured against an existing legal timeliness benchmark.
Who benefits from H.R. 6698?
Veterans with appeals at the Board
Veterans with cases pending before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals would get clearer public information about why cases in the new appeals system were still unresolved by the end of the reporting year and why cases in either the new or legacy systems were remanded.
Congressional oversight committees
Lawmakers would receive more usable annual report data from the Department of Veterans Affairs because the Chairman must provide not just broad explanations, but the number of cases and percentage of cases tied to each delay or remand factor.
Veterans service organizations and advocates
Advocates would have concrete statistics to support reform efforts, including factor-by-factor counts and percentages for untimely dispositions under section 7101(d)(2)(H) and remands under section 7101(d)(2)(I).
Researchers and watchdog groups
Outside analysts would benefit from standardized reporting inside title 38 annual reports, making it easier to track recurring causes of delay and remand over multiple reporting years.
Who is affected by H.R. 6698?
Chairman of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals
The chairman takes on the direct compliance duty under amended section 7101(d) to identify contributing factors and report both the number and percentage of affected cases for untimely dispositions and remands.
Board of Veterans’ Appeals staff
Board staff would likely need to collect and categorize more detailed case-level information during each reporting year so the annual report can separate causes of delay in the new appeals system and causes of remand across new and legacy appeals.
Department of Veterans Affairs leadership
VA leadership would face more precise public accountability because annual reports would now highlight which factors are most responsible for untimely cases and remands, rather than only presenting overall totals.
Veterans in the legacy appeals system
These veterans are not included in the untimely-disposition reporting requirement, which applies only to the new appeals system, but they are included in the remand reporting requirement because remanded cases from both new and legacy systems must be analyzed.
H.R. 6698 Common Questions
What are the new Board of Veterans' Appeals reporting requirements for delayed cases?
Under the Board of Veterans Appeals Annual Report Transparency Act of 2025 (SEC. 2), the Chairman must identify why new-system appeals were not decided on time and report the number and percentage of cases tied to each delay factor.
Does HR 6698 require the VA appeals board to list percentages for each remand reason?
Yes. According to HR 6698 SEC. 2, the Board's annual report must list each factor contributing to remands and give both the number of cases and the percentage of cases affected by each factor.
Can veterans see why their Board appeals are running late under HR 6698?
Yes. Under the Board of Veterans Appeals Annual Report Transparency Act of 2025 (SEC. 2), the annual report must publicly identify the factors behind untimely Board decisions in new-system appeals.
Which VA appeal systems are covered by the remand reporting rule in HR 6698?
According to HR 6698 SEC. 2, remand reporting covers cases pending before the Board in both the new appeals system and the legacy appeals system if they were remanded during the reporting year.
Does the delayed-appeals reporting rule apply to legacy VA appeals too?
No. Under the Board of Veterans Appeals Annual Report Transparency Act of 2025 (SEC. 2), the untimely-disposition reporting requirement applies only to cases under the new appeals system.
How is 'not disposed of in a timely manner' measured for Board appeals under HR 6698?
According to HR 6698 SEC. 2, timeliness is measured by the existing standard in 38 U.S.C. 7101(a), not a new deadline created by the bill.
What counts as the 'new appeals system' in HR 6698?
Under the Board of Veterans Appeals Annual Report Transparency Act of 2025 (SEC. 2), 'new appeals system' uses the definition in section 6 of the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017.
Who has to explain the causes of VA appeal delays and remands under HR 6698?
According to HR 6698 SEC. 2, the official responsible is the Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals, who must identify the factors behind untimely decisions and remands in the annual report.
Does HR 6698 create new VA benefits, penalties, or funding?
No. Under the Board of Veterans Appeals Annual Report Transparency Act of 2025, the bill adds reporting requirements to the Board's annual report; it does not create new benefits, penalties, or funding streams (SEC. 2).
Can the Board of Veterans' Appeals annual report just give totals, or must it name each cause of delay?
It must name each factor. According to HR 6698 SEC. 2, the annual report must identify the specific factors contributing to untimely dispositions and remands, with counts and percentages for each.
Based on H.R. 6698 bill text
HR6698 Legislative Journey
House: Vote Held
Mar 26, 2026
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Voice Vote.
House: Committee Action
Feb 3, 2026
Subcommittee Hearings Held
House: Committee Action
Jan 15, 2026
Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
House: Committee Action
Dec 12, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
About the Sponsor
Keith Self
Republican, Texas's 3rd congressional district · 3 years in Congress
Committees: Veterans' Affairs, Science, Space, and Technology, Foreign Affairs
View full profile →
Committee Sponsors
Veterans' Affairs Committee
0 of 25 committee members cosponsored
No committee members have cosponsored this bill
14 Republicans across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
H.R. 6698 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Veterans' Affairs
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Introduced
- Dec 12, 2025
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Mar 26, 2026
Official Sources
Official Congress.gov page for the bill with text, actions, and status updates.
The bill changes what the Board of Veterans' Appeals must include in its annual report, so the Board's annual reports page is directly relevant.
Official VA page for the Board of Veterans' Appeals, the entity whose chairman would have the new reporting duty under the bill.
The bill amends 38 U.S.C. 7101(d) and uses the timeliness standard in 38 U.S.C. 7101(a).
The bill uses the statutory definition of the 'new appeals system' from section 6 of Public Law 115-55.
Official VA information about the modernized appeals system referenced in the bill's definition of the new appeals system.
Official government search portal for Board decisions that helps illustrate the Board's existing public-facing transparency tools.
Official VA explainer on review and appeal pathways, relevant to understanding new versus legacy appeal processes discussed in the bill.
H.R. 6698 Bill Text
“To amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Board of Veterans’ Appeals to include in its annual report an identification of the factors contributing to untimely disposition and remand of appeals, and for other purposes.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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