Officials want vets to know benefit help is free

Officials want vets to know benefit help is free
Aug 28, 2012
Written by
LUCAS L. JOHNSON II
Associated Press

NASHVILLE (AP) — Veterans Affairs officials in Tennessee and other states are taking steps to stop the practice of charging veterans to assist them in obtaining certain benefits when there are free services available to help them.

There are people at the county and state level in just about every state who are specially trained to assist veterans with entitlements, such as disability and pensions.

It’s illegal to charge a veteran for providing assistance or filing a claim. But certain so-called financial planners or veterans’ counselors have found a loophole by calling their services a “consultation” and charging a fee that could cost veterans hundreds of dollars.

Tennessee Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Many-Bears Grinder said she knows of one incident where a veteran was charged $700.

“It’s taking advantage of a very vulnerable group of people, who, by the way, are our nation’s greatest citizens,” she said.
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