To amend title 38, United States Code, to promote assistance from persons recognized by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for individuals who file certain claims under laws administered by the Secretary.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
Passed HouseAdditional sponsors: Mrs. Radewagen, Mr. Nunn of Iowa, Mr. Fitzpatrick, …
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the …
Passed House (inferred from eh version)
Mr. Peters (for himself, Mr. Bishop, Mr. Obernolte, and Mr. …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill requires the VA to inform veterans filing claims without representation that free help is available from veterans service organizations. It mandates an online searchable directory of accredited representatives and a fee abuse reporting system. The VA must also review its representative accreditation processes within 180 days.
Who Benefits and How
Unrepresented veterans benefit from learning about free VSO representation options. Veterans service organizations benefit from increased visibility and potential new clients. Accredited attorneys and agents benefit from being listed in the searchable directory.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The VA must build and maintain online tools, send notices to unrepresented claimants, and conduct a 180-day regulatory review. Unaccredited representatives who charge fees face increased scrutiny through the reporting mechanism. A pay-for provision extends pension limits by 4 months.
Key Provisions
- VA must notify unrepresented claimants that VSOs offer free representation
- VA must maintain searchable online directory of accredited representatives (updated quarterly)
- Fee warnings required on all VA claim filing web portals
- Mechanism for veterans to report unaccredited representatives and fees charged
- 180-day VA review of representative accreditation regulations
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Requires VA to inform unrepresented claimants about free representation from veterans service organizations and provide tools to find accredited representatives and report fee abuse.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Protect veterans from unaccredited representatives charging fees by increasing awareness of free VSO representation"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Unrepresented veterans filing claims
- Veterans service organizations
Likely Burden Bearers
- VA (must maintain online tools and provide notices)
- Unaccredited representatives charging fees
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "secretary"
- → Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
To prepare, present, or prosecute a claim under a law administered by the Secretary on behalf of a claimant
A veterans service organization recognized under section 5902 or an attorney, agent, or other person recognized under section 5904
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology