LINCOLN- For-profit consultants make millions each year charging veterans for help in filing benefits claims. Nebraska is moving to crack down on what some call “predatory claim sharks.” It is already against federal law for companies not accredited with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to charge veterans fees for help in claiming benefits. But in 2006, a “clear enforcement method” vanished from federal law, State Sen. Dan McKeon of Amherst told the Nebraska Legislature’s Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee in March.

New York, New Jersey and Maine are among states that recently passed protections against “claim sharks,” who McKeon said use “aggressive tactics and false promises.” LB 693 would change state law so that anyone receiving compensation for preparing, advising, or consulting someone for earned veterans’ benefits or making referrals for such services would commit a “deceptive trade practice” unless otherwise allowed by state or federal law.

For the full article click HERE