VA has a proposed classwide settlement in the Freund v. Collins lawsuit that could help thousands of veterans whose timely Substantive Appeals were never properly processed in the old legacy appeals system (VACOLS).
news.va.gov
news.va.gov
Who this impacts:
Veterans (or their eligible substitutes/survivors) with appeal files closed between December 12, 1990, and February 6, 2025, because VA said a timely Substantive Appeal wasn't filed — even if one was. This only applies to legacy claims where VA issued a Statement of the Case before February 19, 2019. If approved, VA will manually review ~28,000 flagged files for timely appeals, reactivate valid ones, notify claimants, and process them expeditiously (all within 18 months). They’ll also review additional cases if you come forward.
news.va.gov
Veterans (or their eligible substitutes/survivors) with appeal files closed between December 12, 1990, and February 6, 2025, because VA said a timely Substantive Appeal wasn't filed — even if one was. This only applies to legacy claims where VA issued a Statement of the Case before February 19, 2019. If approved, VA will manually review ~28,000 flagged files for timely appeals, reactivate valid ones, notify claimants, and process them expeditiously (all within 18 months). They’ll also review additional cases if you come forward.
news.va.gov
Key Dates:
- Proposed settlement filed: December 16, 2025
- Objection deadline: May 15, 2026 (email or mail to class counsel)
- Fairness Hearing: Thursday, August 13, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. ET, at the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in Washington, DC (expected to be livestreamed)
Check the full notices here:
- https://news.va.gov/147326/freund-v-collins-fairness-hearing-scheduled/
- https://news.va.gov/146172/notice-proposed-settlement-substantive-appeals/
If you think this might apply to you, contact class counsel John D. Niles at [email protected]. Don’t wait — spread the word to other vets!