Should Political Affiliation Matter in VA Judge Appointments? The White House Thinks So
November 11, 2018
The Board of Veterans’ Appeals is an integral part of the VA. It handles veteran appeals of decisions not to provide benefits for conditions associated with the military. When selecting new judges, the VA secretary appoints candidates who are then approved by the president. Historically, whether a judge is approved or not depends on their background and qualifications, not political standing.
But recently the White House took a more direct role in selecting the candidates. This past summer, the White House administration stepped in and added an additional set of tests. The eight potential VA judge candidates were asked their political party affiliation and other ideologies. Four of the candidates, three of them of democratic affiliation and one unaligned, were denied.
The Board of Veterans’ Appeals was founded in 1933 to handle cases, and up until now the members political standing has been irrelevant. They act in a neutral arbitrator capacity, not as a political appointee. With the White House considering political affiliation, existing VA judges are concerned that their ability to process the enormous backlog of claims may be stymied by difficulty finding additional acceptable candidates.
Should Board of Veterans’ Appeals members continue to be selected based on White House political standing? Or should their role remain an unbiased and unaffiliated one?
