In the final hours of last year’s session, the 109th Congress passed its major benefits bill for the year, which became Public Law 109-461. Despite strong objections by the DAV and other veterans organizations, Senator Larry Craig used his position as then Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee to insert provisions in this bill to remove the bar against attorneys charging veterans a fee for claims representation. Legislators were reluctant to vote against this bill because it otherwise contained provisions beneficial to veterans. The DAV is now working to have these provisions on attorneys fees repealed, and there is support in Congress for repeal of this ill-advised legislation.
Read the entire Disabled American Veterans position.