VIT-ADV // Advocacy Toolkit

EXPAND VETERANS
RESOURCESCONGRESSIONAL TEMPLATE LETTER

A ready-to-edit letter to contact your elected representatives about veteran benefits and policy. Replace the bracketed placeholders with your details, then copy or download your letter.

EDITABLE // DRAFT-001

[Date]

The Honorable [Representative's Full Name]
United States [House of Representatives / Senate]
[Office Address]
Washington, D.C. 20510

RE: A Third Option for Veterans-Benefits Assistance

Dear [Representative's Last Name],

I am writing to urge Congress to address a significant gap in the veterans-benefits assistance system. Veterans deserve competent, affordable, and accessible help navigating VA disability claims, but today their practical choices are often limited.

Veterans can seek free assistance from accredited Veterans Service Organizations and other "for-profit" accredited representatives. Many provide excellent service, but the reality is that the free experienced representatives are often overworked, understaffed, overwhelmed by large caseloads, difficult to reach, or simply unavailable to provide the individualized assistance a veteran needs.

The alternative may be a "for-profit" accredited attorney or claims agent who can charge a percentage of a veteran's past-due benefits. Attorneys and claims agents absolutely have an important place in the system, particularly for complicated appeals and difficult legal matters. But many veterans feel forced into high percentage-based fee agreements simply because meaningful individualized assistance is unavailable elsewhere.

There should be a third option.

Congress should establish a lawful, regulated framework allowing qualified non-accredited individuals and organizations to provide limited veterans-benefits education, discovery, claims-development assistance, and administrative support for reasonable up-front transparent fees.

Veterans' Back Pay Should Be Sacred

Veterans' advocates have long fought to protect the benefits veterans have earned. Congress has rightfully expressed concern about "claim sharks" taking advantage of veterans. Predatory companies, deceptive practices, unreasonable fees, false guarantees, and improper access to veterans' information should not be tolerated.

But the underlying principle should apply across the entire system:

When VA awards retroactive compensation, that money represents benefits the veteran and his or her family should have already received. It may represent months or often years when a veteran struggled financially while waiting for VA to correctly decide a claim.

Bottom Line: That money belongs to the veteran.

If protecting veterans' back pay is the objective, Congress should examine the entire system through that lens — not simply whether the person assisting the veteran is accredited.

A legally permissible percentage-based fee can still result in thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars being deducted from a veteran's retroactive award. There are cases where that representation is necessary and worth the cost. But there are also many claims where a veteran primarily needs education, evidence review, claims-development guidance, and help understanding VA regulations and procedures.

Those services could potentially be provided for a reasonable fixed fee at a fraction of the cost of surrendering 20% to 33% of a substantial retroactive award.

Accreditation Does Not Automatically Equal Expertise

VA accreditation serves an important purpose and provides accountability for individuals formally representing veterans before VA. But accreditation alone does not guarantee expertise, just as the absence of accreditation does not mean someone lacks knowledge or experience.

Former VSOs, veterans-benefits educators, retired military personnel, former government employees, and others may possess years or decades of relevant experience.

The question should not simply be accredited versus unaccredited.

The question should be: How do we protect veterans from exploitation while expanding their access to competent, affordable assistance?

Veterans should not have to choose between assistance that is free but unavailable and assistance that is available but potentially very expensive.

Create a Regulated Third Option

Rather than prohibiting non-accredited assistance, Congress should establish clear boundaries under which limited-scope veterans claims education and assistance can legally operate.

A reasonable framework could require transparent fixed or capped fees; written disclosure that the provider is not a VA-accredited representative; clear limitations on what services may be provided; strong privacy protections; transparent contracts and refund policies; prohibitions against guaranteed ratings or outcomes; and meaningful penalties for deceptive or predatory conduct.

Non-accredited educators should not impersonate veterans, improperly access VA systems, or hold themselves out as accredited representatives.

But veterans should be free to pay a knowledgeable individual a reasonable amount to review records, explain regulations and rating criteria, help organize evidence, identify issues requiring further development, and educate them about the claims process.

Regulate the conduct. Protect the veteran. Preserve the veteran's choice and back pay.

A Request to Congress

I respectfully ask Congress to examine the current accreditation framework and consider legislation creating a legitimate, regulated pathway for limited-scope, non-accredited veterans claims education and assistance.

Bring VSOs, accredited attorneys and claims agents, veterans-benefits educators, veteran-owned organizations, VA officials, and veterans themselves to the table.

If a knowledgeable individual can help a veteran understand and develop a VA claim for a reasonable, transparent fee — with appropriate consumer protections — why should federal law prevent that veteran from choosing that assistance?

We should protect veterans from claim sharks. We should protect them from unreasonable and often unnecessary fees by for-profit accredited claims agents and attorneys. But we should also protect their freedom to choose affordable assistance.

Most importantly, we should protect their back pay.

That money was earned through service and sacrifice. As much of it as possible should remain where it belongs: in the hands of the veteran and the veteran's family.

Respectfully,

[Name]
[Veteran / Veterans Advocate / Organization]
[City, State]
[Email] | [Phone]

TIP // Find your representatives and their contact details at congress.gov or senate.gov. Personalize your letter with specific facts about your case for the greatest impact.

EXPAND VETERANSRESOURCESCONGRESSIONAL TEMPLATE LETTER

EXPAND VETERANS
RESOURCESCONGRESSIONAL TEMPLATE LETTER