[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6053769,"mediaKeyId","3354928-57ccf1eaacc5b0aff21622aa7b46e4f2","parentId",3354928,"title","Committee advances SAVE Act to regulate private claims consultants for veterans' benefits","audioSeconds",2006,"startMs",1561000,"endMs",3567000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3354928-57ccf1eaacc5b0aff21622aa7b46e4f2&start=1561&end=3567","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3354928-57ccf1eaacc5b0aff21622aa7b46e4f2/thumbnail_1561000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6053769/Georgia/Committee-advances-SAVE-Act-to-regulate-private-claims-consultants-for-veterans-benefits","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6053769-4af1629e05b187feb7138af829bfe489/orig.mp4?Expires=1771160256&Signature=KFpC0vtMYuy-0i2BpSb-wUx9n6AHS0Wew--e~vqR1ZTQDMva8z-Tt6ZzPImlbqyOa6AkaFceMkLoMyl4n1KvuRS4XD~bBcG8DrUCQY8wk-fvUgEDkiLIrY21cy41MbbFEpP0BdEsBJ3gA0ZaN9D6xdEU-LJCwSdyrzxUHJHtAM5kVqHYaKYsJ5czqTt1kuRdbh1aCCZlydEx7osCgYVontyS-2oQLBrqU2Yxb2OotItSs6tmsQVfs0BaFvATDY2JIhQJ7VszCoKDHjDXhPv2Hz4CddHnf4975G~18pqDomcNUVDca-dNdU9qyoYxj3fWvO9FsSIm4ZU7A823a-yvuQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","GA Senate Committee on Veterans, Military, and Homeland Security","date","2025-03-19T00:00:00Z","article","Senator Bonner, chair of the Senate Veterans, Military and Homeland Security Committee, presented House Bill 108, called the SAVE Act, as a state-level regulatory framework for firms that assist veterans with VA claims.

The bill would require written contracts and disclosures, prohibit up-front fees (fees must be contingent until an award is received), cap fees at five times the increase in the veteran's benefit, bar promises or guarantees of outcomes, require background checks, prohibit private entities from using international call centers or directly accessing veterans' medical and financial records, and bar private firms from employing doctors to perform secondary medical examinations for claims processing. The legislation also makes the companies subject to the Georgia Fair Business Practices Act for enforcement.

\"What we seek to do in this bill is set up a structure so that all of these companies are accountable,\" Bonner said, describing hearings held across the state and the committee's effort to balance veterans' access to services with consumer protections. He told the committee there are roughly 670,000 veterans in Georgia and about 49,000 pending claims, and he argued the bill creates guardrails while allowing a free-market option for veterans who choose to pay for expedited services.

Supporters and critics offered competing concerns. Senator Harberson said the backlog of claims and veterans' unmet needs persuaded him to support a regulated option in the interim, even though he described unease about asking veterans to pay for earned benefits. Several senators and audience organizations argued veterans should never have to pay for benefits they earned; Senator Anderson and other members questioned whether private companies would be able to become accredited with the VA (the transcript and committee record note that VA accreditation is an individual designation, not a company accreditation).

Representative input and stakeholders cited in the record include Veterans Guardian, the VFW, American Legion posts and the Paralyzed Veterans Association; the Department of Veterans Service and local veterans service organizations were listed among entities that provide free assistance and will be included in mandated disclosure forms.

Committee members discussed enforcement and private cause-of-action under the Fair Business Practices Act; the author said the act applies and enforcement resources were available through the attorney general's office. The bill does not carve out a private cause of action from the Fair Business Practices Act.

After debate the committee voted 5 to 4 to pass the SAVE Act to the next stage. Senator Hickman seconded the motion. The transcript records a roll-call-style count given aloud by the chair: five in favor, four opposed.

Why it matters: the bill creates a state regulatory structure for an industry that assists veterans with VA claims by limiting fees, requiring disclosures and imposing consumer protections. Supporters said the measure provides a regulated pathway for veterans to pay for faster service while still preserving free options; critics said it risks legitimizing paid services and may not address the underlying federal backlog.

Votes at a glance: House Bill 108 (SAVE Act) ' Motion: pass; mover: not specified; second: Senator Hickman; outcome: approved 5-4.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","03/19/2025 Senate Committee on Veterans, Military, and Homeland Security","oneSentenceSummary","The Senate Veterans, Military and Homeland Security Committee passed House Bill 108, the SAVE Act, creating registration, disclosure, fee caps and consumer protections for private claims consultants who assist veterans pursuing VA benefits; the vote was 5-4.","taxTitle","Veterans, Military, and Homeland Security, SENATE, Committees, Legislative, Georgia","taxId",17685,"location","Georgia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6053773,"Senate panel approves bill expanding burial eligibility at state military cemeteries",1015,517000,1532000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3354928-57ccf1eaacc5b0aff21622aa7b46e4f2&start=517&end=1532","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3354928-57ccf1eaacc5b0aff21622aa7b46e4f2/thumbnail_517000.jpg","/articles/6053773/Georgia/Senate-panel-approves-bill-expanding-burial-eligibility-at-state-military-cemeteries","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6053773-142e1455b0422ec5b029775f0e768ffd/orig.mp4?Expires=1771160256&Signature=G~QhP-cUSpH1KXdAqzUK9D9Fv5X-UxzY7otl1mdf2QPb2cCbkIgi-HiTGXcZSg9M0JK~EVTRkpgimpVqAD3c8sWVYYxme0w~DYo4YI4UcfYX~yr-EThGazCN1qDsCrBDHx75OM6ZJPVgUthUHhcWOCFPz4a1kb~GjekP10lIuqfYir34sVi26cLgfAdSOfATm29D4AoHZWACwxzwMqKXO22PzEYlXv8Zux9yqikSmi9UgsZMu4mAywHrgls4XipZA3bmK41owbWi~GCbTe3tlKiYZgFHyAggoyG13wgF1b1xxoOND7W176csIymLvTEFZRq8Pi4vXt2-EQ6xJP3v3g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Bonner, chair of the Senate Veterans, Military and Homeland Security Committee, presented House Bill 53 and a substitute that, he said, corrects language omitted in the House version.

The bill expands eligibility for burial in state military cemeteries to include National Guard members and reservists who performed state active duty or initial enlistments but were never federalized, and thus previously did not meet the state's eligibility rules tied to federal active-duty service or retirement. \"There was a piece of federal legislation passed back in 2021 that allowed the states to do this,\" Bonner said, and the substitute amends state law to implement that option.

The measure makes the change retroactive to 1990, allows qualified spouses or dependent children to be interred under the same eligibility expansion, and ties any family fee to the VA reimbursement rate. Senator Kay Kirkpatrick asked where the fee would go; Commissioner Patricia Ross of the Georgia Department of Veterans Service said the fee would go to the department as part of operational funding to support interments and related services.

Ramona Roper, identified as training director for the Georgia Department of Veterans Service, told the committee that service officers statewide regularly encounter reservists and Guardsmen who currently do not qualify for state cemetery burial under existing law. \"We are constantly . . . inundated with reservists and national guardsmen, that come into the offices, and they're seeking benefits,\" Roper said, noting department staff must currently tell some eligible-seeming veterans that they do not meet cemetery criteria.

Committee members asked practical questions about retroactivity, headstones and capacity. Bonner and Commissioner Ross said headstones would come through a state contract with the same vendor used by the VA, but as a separate state contract, and that the department believes cemetery capacity is sufficient. The committee also heard local examples from senators who visit state cemeteries in Milledgeville and Glenville and discussed the symbolism of military markers.

After public testimony and questions, a motion to pass the bill with the substitute was made and seconded; the committee recorded that the measure \"passes unanimously.\" The transcript does not include a roll-call tally.

Why it matters: the change lets certain Georgia Guardsmen and reservists who performed state active duty but were never federalized share the burial honors of state military cemeteries, and clarifies who bears fees and how headstone contracts will be handled. The department said the number of additional interments is expected to be small but carries symbolic importance for veterans and families.

Votes at a glance: House Bill 53 (substitute) ' Motion: pass (substitute); mover: not specified; second: Senator Kay Kirkpatrick; outcome: approved unanimously (roll-call counts not specified in the transcript).

","The Senate Veterans, Military and Homeland Security Committee voted to pass House Bill 53, which expands eligibility for burial in Georgia state military cemeteries to certain National Guard members and reservists who served on state active duty but were never federalized.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee advances SAVE Act to regulate private claims consultants for veterans' benefits

Senate panel approves bill expanding burial eligibility at state military cemeteries