California legislation would protect state veterans from claim sharks | Opinion
Veterans serve their countries with honor, and our service-disabled veterans deserve our appreciation and the benefits they’ve earned. It requires new state legislation to help protect those benefits.
Senate Bill 694, introduced in 2025, is now moving through the California Legislature to protect state veterans from bad actors who take advantage of veterans in need of claims assistance. This discussion comes at a critical moment, as California Attorney General Rob Bonta recently underscored the urgency of the legislation and highlighted the upcoming legislative vote to strengthen protections for veterans statewide.
The complex approval process by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) drives many veterans to seek outside assistance with filing disability claims. VA-accredited law groups and Veterans Service Organizations can offer guidance and reduce roadblocks to approvals, but many unaccredited “consultants” gouge veterans in their time of need.
Unfortunately, countless veterans fall prey to claim sharks each year who extract an exorbitant amount of money from service-disabled veterans.
SB 694, co-authored by Sen. Bob Archuleta, D-Norwalk, and Sen. Sabrina Cervantes, D-Riverside, would be a monumental step in protecting veterans in California by eradicating deceptive practices that target them.
Specifically, the bill would prohibit any person from being paid for work related to the preparation, presentation or prosecution of any claim for federal veterans benefits unless they are accredited by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as an attorney or claims agent. This bill would make it illegal for claim sharks to access VA computer systems using a veteran’s login information and to charge a fee for assistance with a veteran’s benefits claim that exceeds the fee that could be lawfully charged by a VA-accredited attorney or claims agent.
As a 100% service disabled veteran, it took me 20 years of debunking the myths and misinformation before I submitted my first VA claim with a Veterans Service Organization. Almost all of my initial claims were denied, and the frustration and anger I felt were beyond words. I doubled down and truly learned the paperwork and VA appeal process. That experience drove me to start VetsForever, a VA-accredited law group that gives veterans a legal option beyond what even honorable Veterans Service Organizations can provide.
VetsForever applauds legal guardrails at the federal and state level to protect veterans from exploitation, including SB 694. We hope California can join the rapidly growing number of states that are protecting our veterans from claim sharks.
If the bill passes in the legislature, it will empower the California Attorney General and other law enforcement partners to pursue and prosecute those who violate the law and take advantage of vulnerable veterans by charging illegal or excessive fees or accessing their protected federal systems without authorization.
Trinidad Aguirre is the CEO of VetsForever, a Department of Veterans Affairs-accredited law firm.