I recently read an article by a friend of mine; Tom Jurowsky. He is a retired United States Navy Rear Admiral. A role model to many, in numerous ways, who continues to advocate for America’s defense and veterans.

He is the type of leader I respectfully deliver a very snappy hand salute.

VETERANS NEEDS AND THE BAD GUYS

I learned from his writings that there is a massive and generally unregulated industry that preys on veterans who are attempting to access services or information. Simply said, these for-profit firms charge veterans and their families exorbitant fees for services they can receive elsewhere for free or a nominal fee.

In the Admiral’s article he states, “As a result of the Gulf War and post-9/11 era, for example, veterans were found to suffer from the effects of toxic burn pits that caused troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan to develop serious illnesses. Countless veterans were found to have developed a range of cancers. After the long Vietnam War, many of those who served there became seriously sickened by Agent Orange chemical herbicides that were used during the war.”

He continued, “In many cases, the cancers and other illnesses that veterans developed came after they had left the service. Unfortunately, they were left to suffer and were ignored by the country that sent them to war.”

I learned from the Admiral’s article in 2022 Congress passed and the president signed into law the PACT Act that expanded health care and benefits for certain veterans who served during the Gulf War period, post 9/11, and Vietnam. Since then, veterans and survivors have submitted over four million claims, including almost 1.7 million PACT Act-specific claim applications.

Federal law says that veterans who make claims can be provided assistance in filing and submitting the necessary paperwork and documentation. However, this assistance can only be provided by accredited agents who are trained, tested, overseen, and, when appropriate, disciplined and punished by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Unfortunately, despite federal law that says only accredited agents can help veterans in filing claims, as many as 100 unaccredited for-profit companies are now making hundreds of millions of dollars by enticing veterans to sign on with them. That’s because in 2006 Congress stripped criminal penalties from the law — making the government all but powerless to stop the practice.

With the expansion of claims, veterans understandably have grown frustrated with months of waiting, creating an opening for predatory companies to engage and exploit veteran claimants in a multitude of improprieties. Some of these include charging fees beyond those permitted, failing to disclose they are not accredited by the VA, and requiring the veteran to disclose personal information (including online banking information) so that fees can be withdrawn from the veteran’s account as soon as the claim is paid.

Thus far, New York, New Jersey, and Maine are the only states to have enacted legislation to challenge and legally charge these bogus firms.

THE CALL TO ACTION

Until federal law is changed to impose penalties on unaccredited and for-profit companies, it is up to the states to regulate this unscrupulous behavior.

Michigan needs to enact legislation. Reach out to your elected state of Michigan Senator and Representative detailing this “bloody leach” on veterans’ scenario.

In the meantime, veterans and their family members can be well served by reaching out to the following resources:

∫ Each of Michigan’s 83 counties has a veteran’s affairs office

∫ Across Michigan the U.S. Veterans Administration has five medical centers and nearly 50 resource clinics across both peninsulas.

∫ Michigan’s Department of Military and Veterans Affairs department offers a website or can be contacted at 1-800-642-4838

∫ Many counties have local branches of the American Legion, Vietnam Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Disabled American Veterans which might guide you to resources.

Hand salute to you fellow veterans.

Jeffrey D. Brasie is a retired health care CEO. He frequently writes historic feature stories and op-eds for various Michigan newspapers. As a Vietnam-era veteran, he served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Naval Reserve. He served on the public affairs staff of the Secretary of the Navy. He grew up in Alpena and resides in suburban Detroit.