It’s very accepted to thank our veterans for their service even as their sacrifices are not well-understood by the public. The injuries they may suffer from — physical, emotional or both — are oftentimes hidden but are lifetime scars they incurred while serving their country.

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.

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.

It took Congress far too long to address this issue. But Congress finally found the courage to act. 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 4 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).

Attorneys and claims agents may charge fees but on a tightly regulated scale set by the U.S. government. Some agents, referred to as veteran service officers, provide their services for free. In Maryland, the Maryland Department of Veterans and Military Families offers this service for free.

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.

These improprieties and others are facilitating the commission of fraud against our veterans.

To stop these predators, a bill was introduced in March 2023 in both houses of Congress that imposed criminal penalties on individuals for directly or indirectly soliciting, contracting for, charging or receiving any unauthorized fee for the preparation of any VA claim. Both bills were never voted on by either the Senate or House of Representatives.

This unaccredited “industry” has mobilized by investing heavily in Washington lobbyists and campaign contributions to lobby against claim predator legislation. The industry’s biggest players, according to a Washington Post report, have won over a majority of Republican lawmakers on the House and Senate committees that oversee veterans’ affairs. One of the firms spent over $1.1 million in lobbying last year.

Until federal law is changed to impose penalties on unaccredited for-profit companies, it is up to the states to regulate unscrupulous behavior. And a small number of states have banned or restricted these for-profit claims companies.

Maryland should join them.

The Maryland Military Coalition strongly recommends such legislation be enacted to regulate companies or individuals in our state. Our veterans must not be exploited. No uniformed service veteran should be forced to pay for the benefit assistance they are due for free.

Tom Jurkowsky is a retired rear admiral in the U.S. Navy who served on active duty for 31 years. He is a supporter of the Maryland Military Commission and a former board member of the Military Officers Association of America. He is the author of “The Secret Sauce for Organizational Success: Communications and Leadership on the Same Page.”