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