Angie Craig: “Currently, veterans and other claimants seeking veterans' benefits may not hire an attorney until the VA administrative…”

“Currently, veterans and other claimants seeking veterans' benefits may not hire an attorney until the VA administrative proceedings have been completed--a process that often takes several years. That law flows from a Civil War era policy intended to protect veterans from unscrupulous attorneys. That policy arose at a time--unlike today--when attending law school was not required to become a lawyer and there was no effective professional oversight of lawyers. In recent months, it has become abundantly clear that many veterans and their survivors want the option of hiring an attorney to help them navigate the increasingly complex VA system. In fact, the prohibition against veterans hiring attorneys is considered to be unfair and outdated by a broad spectrum of individuals and organizations, including veterans' organizations, veterans' advocates, judges, law professors, and bar associations. For these reasons, I am very pleased that a compromise version of legislation I authored was accepted that would allow veterans to hire attorneys after a veteran files a Notice of Disagreement with VA's initial decision on their claim.”