Senators secure nominee's pledge to address Camp Lejeune attorney fees, fiduciary fraud and survivor overpayments
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Summary
Senators pressed Dr. Karen Bridal to curb high contingency attorney fees in Camp Lejeune claims, improve fiduciary safeguards and stop survivor payment reversals that have overdrafted family accounts; Bridal committed to review and to work with DOJ and the committee.
Senators pressed VA Undersecretary‑designate Dr. Karen Bridal to take action on three veterans‑facing problems: excessive contingency fees in Camp Lejeune claims, fraud and abuse in the VA fiduciary program, and survivor overpayments that have left families with bank overdrafts.
Senator Sullivan urged Bridal to "work with the secretary, who's very committed to this, and the attorney general" to curb contingency fees charged by private firms pursuing Camp Lejeune claims and said he would push for caps (he called for a 25% cap). "No veteran should have to pay a third party to receive the benefits they've earned," Bridal said in response. Sullivan and others described advertising law firms charging contingency fees as high as 70%, which senators said diverts funds from sick service members and families.
On fiduciary oversight, Senator Tovagov (transcript spelling) asked Bridal to describe the purpose and priorities for the VA's fiduciary program, which the senator described as "riddled with fraud and abuse." Bridal said her three principles would be to put veterans first, follow the law, and "ensure fiscal stewardship through accountability" and pledged a program review if confirmed, with attention to mitigating fraud, waste and abuse.
Senator Tullis read a survivor's statement describing an overdraft caused when VA payments deposited on Aug. 27 were reversed days later; he said the reversal occurred without notice and triggered bank fees. Bridal called that outcome "unacceptable" and committed to address overpayments and communication gaps. She also said she would coordinate with internal and external stakeholders on scheduling and other operations, noting that scheduling is managed on the health care side but promising to engage where the benefits administration intersects with scheduling and payments.
Ending: Bridal agreed to work with senators, the Department of Justice and other stakeholders; she promised follow‑up on specific contracts, fiduciary program reviews, and outreach and communication improvements for survivors and veterans seeking claims and payments.