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© Getty Images The “hamster wheel” is a familiar metaphor for those who work within the Veterans Affairs (VA) disability benefits system. Gaining popularity after its use in a 2006 decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, it is most often used to describe the endless cycle of remanding a veteran’s claim before a final decision is reached. However, the hamster wheel metaphor applies to policy and legislative analysis about the structure of the benefits system just as much as it applies to individual claimants. While recent legislative actions such as the Appeals Modernization Act have taken steps to provide an off ramp from the hamster wheel for individuals, overarching legislation that structurally reforms the overall benefits process to the benefit of all veterans is still stuck in a hamster wheel of its own.

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