This bill would reinstate and expand penalties for people who charge veterans unauthorized fees for preparing, presenting, or prosecuting claims for VA benefits. It amends 38 U.S.C. to make charging such fees a crime (fine under title 18, imprisonment up to one year, or both) and to bar people from being recognized by the VA as agents or attorneys for one year after a first violation and 10 years after later violations. The bill requires that only persons recognized by the VA, or people acting under their direct supervision, may assist claimants. It defines what counts as "preparation, presentation, or prosecution" with limited exceptions for private medical or expert opinions. The VA General Counsel must start rulemaking within 90 days to define that term. The bill says the VA's rules on recognition supersede state laws and directs the Secretary to include cost and staffing estimates for administering VA representation rules in budget documents.
The bill also requires the VA to provide notice to claimants about availability of representation by accredited persons, to maintain an online, searchable list of accredited, suspended, or excluded persons (updated at least quarterly), and to put fee-warning notices and links on claim portals. The VA must review its recognition regulations and submit a report with recommendations within 180 days. It requires claim intake forms to ask whether a claimant was charged for assistance or coaching and to allow naming the person who provided assistance. The VA must build an accreditation system with high uptime (99.9%), allow agents to certify eligibility, accept complaints, and integrate with the other required tools. The bill also amends the Communications Act to restrict certain automated telephone equipment from calling phone numbers assigned to federal departments or agencies when the equipment can make repeated calls and provide and receive information.
No publicly available information on total costs or budgetary effects. The bill directs the Secretary to include detailed estimates of sums and staffing needed to administer VA representation rules in documents submitted with the President's budget.
The bill's short title and text indicate its aim is to stop abuse, fraud, and exploitation of veterans by reinstituting criminal penalties for unauthorized fee collection, improving notice and reporting tools, strengthening accreditation systems, and restricting some automated calls to federal phone numbers.
No publicly available information on opponents' views in the bill text or metadata.