Goodlander Helps Lead Bipartisan Demand for Action to Stop Claim Sharks Scamming Veterans Following NPR Report

Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander, alongside Congressman Chris Pappas, joined a bipartisan group of more than 40 members in sending a letter to the Department of Veterans' Affairs, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau highlighting the disturbing and escalatory tactics of claim sharks, including those in recent reporting from NPR, and demanding the agencies immediately investigate and take meaningful action to curb these practices and protect veterans.

"We write to express serious concern regarding a recent NPR investigation documenting predatory practices by unaccredited claims representatives and providing new evidence of escalating, disturbing tactics used to systematically target and illegally charge veterans tens of thousands of dollars for assistance with their Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability claims," the Members wrote.

"Claim sharks' predatory practices grow more nefarious and efficient with each passing day, robbing veterans of the benefits they earned and diverting taxpayer dollars into their own pockets…Veterans deserve clear, lawful, and trustworthy assistance when seeking the benefits they have earned. The conduct described in this recent investigation represents an unacceptable threat to their privacy and financial security and demands immediate, meaningful federal action," the Members continued.

Unaccredited claims representatives, or claim sharks, are not subject to VA standards. They strategically advertise their services to avoid regulatory oversight and, as a result, may engage in predatory and unethical practices that target veterans and rob them of their VA benefits. Federal laws and regulations prohibit anyone from assisting a veteran in the preparation, presentation, or prosecution of a VA benefit claim, or charging a fee for this assistance, without accreditation from VA. However, VA and other federal agencies are limited in their ability to enforce existing law because explicit criminal penalties were stripped from the statute nearly two decades ago. This has contributed to the proliferation of unaccredited claims representatives in recent years, a troubling development, especially as more veterans receive the benefits they're owed thanks to the Honoring Our PACT Act.

Read the full text of the letter here.

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