Carol Whitmore, commander-in-chief, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S., testifies at a joint House and Senate hearing of the Veterans Affairs’ Committees on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Washington. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
WASHINGTON — The commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars — which represents 1.3 million veterans — urged lawmakers to take aggressive action to stop unaccredited companies from illegally representing and charging veterans exorbitant fees to file claims for disability and other benefits.
Federal law requires companies to be certified by the Department of Veterans Affairs to assist veterans in preparing, presenting and appealing claims.
But Carol Whitmore, VFW commander-in-chief, said an absence of fines and other court-ordered penalties enables unaccredited companies to flourish.
“This business model exploits veterans and is unacceptable,” Whitmore said.
“Nearly 20 years ago, Congress removed criminal penalties for unaccredited claims activity from statute, creating a loophole that allowed these predatory actors to proliferate,” Whitmore said.
VFW officers, along with rank-and-file members from across the nation, on Tuesday filled a meeting room on Capitol Hill in a show of support as the veterans advocacy group highlighted its legislative priorities in a joint House and Senate hearing of the Veterans Affairs’ Committees.
The VFW, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and the Student Veterans of American were among eight veterans advocacy groups that also provided testimony on legislation affecting veterans benefits and programs.
Rep. Mark Takano, of California, the top Democrat on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said that unaccredited companies have engaged in “expensive lobbying efforts” to stop laws from being strengthened that would protect veterans.
“Claims sharks must be stopped,” Takano said to applause.
VFW and other major veterans service organizations provide claims assistance for free from accredited officers. The officers assist with filing disability claims, making appeals, and accessing their benefits.
At the start of the hearing, Takano asked for a moment of silence to acknowledge the deaths of six service members who lost their lives in Operation Epic Fury, a major U.S.-Israel military operation waged against Iran that launched last weekend.
Several lawmakers also expressed their condolences during the 2 1/2-hour hearing.
“I ask that we hold these service members and their families in our thoughts and prayers,” Takano said, adding later that “every new conflict creates a new generation of veterans. This is the time to fully invest in the future of VA and ensure the department is there for these veterans when they come home.”
The hearing also highlighted an unsuccessful bid by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., to secure a vote on the Senate floor of the Major Richard Star Act, a priority bill by several veterans’ groups. Blumenthal announced in the hearing’s final minutes that he was headed to the Senate floor to try to push through a vote on the bill.
Whitmore began her address by expressing alarm over recent comments in the media suggesting that VA benefits are overly generous and that some veterans are taking advantage of the disability compensation system for personal enrichment.
“We are hearing troubling refrains that veterans’ benefits are too expensive, or worse, that veterans are claiming benefits they do not deserve,” said Whitmore, a retired Army nurse.
“The all-volunteer force has borne the burden of more than two decades of war. We kept our promise. Do not rewrite history to make heroes into scapegoats,” Whitmore said.
Chairman Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., makes remarks during a joint House and Senate hearing of the Veterans Affairs’ Committees on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Washington. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., chairman of the Senate VA Committee, said the committee’s role is to make sure that veterans receive the benefits they qualify for and earned.
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said the VFW has a lot of influence in Congress. He urged VFW members to use it. “Through your lobbying efforts, you can make a tremendous difference,” he said.
King also asked for VFW leaders to survey members to learn whether their care and interactions with the VA have diminished since the agency reduced thousands of personnel in 2025.
Whitmore’s testimony also focused on supporting legislation to better assist veterans who have mental health problems and are at risk of suicide.
She urged lawmakers to adopt legislation to require doctors to get written consent from veterans, before prescribing medication for mental health problems stemming from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries and other service-connected conditions.
“Veterans seeking mental health care are being prescribed strong psychiatric medicine without being fully told about the side effects,” Whitmore said.
The VFW also expressed support for the Veteran Suicide Prevention Act, which would require the VA to review suicide, accidental and violent death data involving veterans over the past five years.
Independent reviews have raised concerns that veteran suicides may be undercounted, including in cases of overdose deaths, according to supporters of the legislation.
Blumenthal, the top Democrat on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, announced he was stepping out of the hearing while it was underway to ask for a vote on the Senate floor for passage of the Major Richard Star Act.
The legislation would overturn rules that reduce retirement pay for combat-injured veterans who were forced into early retirement.
They are required to waive a portion of their retirement benefits when they receive disability compensation.
Whitmore had just testified at the joint Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing that medically retired veterans had their “service taken from them.”
“This is not double-dipping. It is double sacrifice,” Whitmore said to loud applause.
Blumenthal’s request on the Senate floor for a vote Tuesday was followed by a similar appeal by Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., chairman of the Senate VA Committee.
But Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., objected. He said adoption would result in $9 billion or $10 billion in “entitlement money” added to the National Defense Authorization Act.
“This legislation has never been accepted because we cannot afford it. We can’t come down here and talk about how we love veterans without looking at the dollars and cents,” he said.
The legislation did not advance to a vote.
