Senators Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown of Ohio asked U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie to extend filing of claims and appeals for veterans’ compensation benefits. Due to the Department of Veterans Affairs closing regional offices, Board of Veterans’ Appeals hearings have been postponed until at least May 1.

Under current law, an extension to the 60-day period for filing a Substantive Appeal or to the 30-day period for responding to the Supplemental Statement of the Case may be granted for good cause. In order to prevent a burden on the system, the senators request that the Secretary approve a six-month delay for each of the phases of claims and appeals at the Department of Veterans Affairs for claims and appeals coming due during the current COVID-19 crisis until Sept.

“We would like to ensure that our veterans will not be penalized for their inability to respond in the standard timelines due to the nationwide disruption caused by the novel coronavirus response,” wrote the senators.