Whenever you went to the beach, sometimes there would be signs saying “Don’t go into the water! Beware of Sharks!” Good to know before getting into the ocean. Sometimes, we wish there was a sign for Veterans applying for disability compensation, “When you prepare to file your claim, beware of Claim Sharks!”
So, what is a “Claim Shark?” The Veterans of Foreign Wars has a strong description of a Claim Shark. The VFW describes a Claim Shark as an individual or company who is not VA accredited that charges hefty fees to “assist” or “consult” veterans with filing their VA benefit claims which is illegal. The VFW also says Claim Sharks since they are not VA accredited, meaning they aren’t required to adhere to the well-established professional and ethical standards of VA accreditation, so their advice can often be misleading or even fraudulent. The VFW likens a Claim Shark to a Loan Shark where a Veteran may be subject to new and hidden fees whenever he or she gets a new rating, no matter who does the work.
Some of the predatory practices are promising or guaranteeing an increased disability rating or percentage increase. Claim Sharks advertise expedited VA claims decisions. Some request login credentials to access a Veteran’s personal information through secure VA websites like eBenefits or VA.gov, or they use confusing tactics or ambiguous language to mislead Veterans or coerce them into signing a contract that locks them into those hidden fees. Claim Sharks have been known to tell Veterans not to attend their own doctors’ appointments and offering health consultations within their own network of doctors. Some Claim Sharks have misled Veterans that not attending a C&P won’t harm their claim. All lies!
Veterans then ask, “If Claim Sharks are misleading and frauding Veterans, why are they still in operation?” “Why are they not being punished for duping Veterans?” The simple answer is Congress won’t stop them. A Washington Post article titled, Veterans Became Eligible for Billions. These firms saw a chance to profit., relates that in 2006, Congress stripped from the law that makes it illegal to charge a Veteran for filing any and all criminal penalties for charging fees. And now, there are lawmakers in Congress that want to do away with the law all together. The argument is that it is a Veteran’s right to seek assistance from anyone to help them with claims processing. And it’s the right of some to charge a Veteran a fee to do that assistance. When a Claim Shark makes false promises to a Veteran, is it a crime or just false advertising?
Let’s be honest though. This nothing new in American history. There are plenty of examples of companies peddling a false and misleading product since the days of Snake Oil Salesmen. And for note, there are plenty of Veterans who are extremely dissatisfied with their Veteran Service Officers too. Veterans Service Organizations
But there is an old cliché from author Thomas Lupton in1580, “If something looks too good to be true, it is.” Well, it is the same for Veterans. As a claimant, it is the Veteran’s responsibility to ensure whomever he or she uses to file a claim or to submit an appeal is VA accredited. How do you do this? The Veteran can go to, you can go to Find A VA Accredited Representative Or VSO | Veterans Affairs. But in the long run, it is the Veteran’s decision to use these VA-unaccredited claims advisors. As it was said in the military, keep your head on a swivel. Know who you are dealing with. Know what you are signing. And be clear-eyed as to the fact these are for profit organizations. And as the adage goes, “You need to read the fine print before you sign.”
What does all this mean? It means “Veteran Beware! There are Claims Sharks in the water!”
