FRANKFORT, KY – Attorney General Daniel Cameron is urging Congress to pass the G.U.A.R.D. VA Benefits Act. The bipartisan legislation would hold accountable the bad actors who target and prey upon veterans applying for federal benefits.
"We must serve well those who so bravely served us," said Attorney General Cameron. "The G.U.A.R.D. VA Benefits Act would help protect veterans from those who prey on them during a vulnerable time: the application process for federal benefits. I urge Congress to pass the bill immediately."
Federal law requires entities to gain accreditation from the Veterans Affairs Office of General Counsel in order to assist veterans in filing claims for benefits. However, in 2006 criminal penalties for violating the law were removed, rendering authorities powerless to stop scammers from stealing veterans' logins, passwords, and bank account information related to claims for benefits.
In a letter to House and Senate leaders, Attorney General Cameron and 43 other attorneys general advocated for passage of the new bill, which would reinstate strict penalties for such bad actors.
"We urge [you] . . . to reinstate those criminal penalties and to protect our veterans, and their families, from unaccredited predatory actors who seek to profit from veterans' service and sacrifice[,]" the coalition writes. "Our veterans deserve to be honored, not . . . targeted for financial victimization."
This is Attorney General Cameron's latest effort to defend veterans. In 2021, he won a substantial settlement from Associated Community Services after the company deceived homeless veterans.
Attorney General Cameron was joined by attorneys general from Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming in sending today's letter.
To read a copy of the letter, click here.
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