Should Californians support our heroes or the Scammers?

September 18, 2025

OPINION by ROBERT TOLAN

I recently read an op-ed by Irene Dana arguing against Senate Bill 694. I was shocked. Not just by what she said, but by how deeply her piece misunderstood the battle veterans are facing every single day.

As someone who has stood shoulder to shoulder with veterans for years, I can say without hesitation: SB 694 is not a step backward. It is a lifeline.

Let’s talk about what this bill actually does.

Right now, there are unaccredited, unregulated individuals charging our veterans thousands, just to help file VA disability claims. These so-called claim sharks operate outside the law, outside any system of accountability, and far outside the values we hold as a state and as a nation.

And the worst part? They are charging for something that should be free.

That is right. Veterans do not have to pay for help with their benefits. Every county in California has a County Veterans Service Office. There are also nationally respected organizations that offer this support at no cost because it is simply the right thing to do.

These groups are staffed by VA-accredited professionals who are trained to guide veterans through the process with compassion, skill, and integrity. These are veterans helping veterans.

Here is the part that every Californian should pay attention to. All 56 County Veteran Service Officers support this bill. So do the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Vietnam Veterans of America, and dozens of other respected veterans organizations across the state and the nation.

These are not bureaucrats. These are our military heroes. They have seen the damage caused by unqualified consultants. They have had to clean up the mess. They have had to look a veteran in the eye and explain that the money they paid is gone and the benefits they were promised may now be delayed or even denied.

In her op-ed, Ms. Dana claimed that if this bill passes, veterans would somehow have fewer resources to file their disability claims. That could not be further from the truth. In reality, California’s accredited system is one of the strongest in the nation.

Although California is home to only 8% of the nation’s veterans, our County Veteran Service Offices file 12% of all VA claims nationwide. That is not just effectiveness. It is excellence. And thanks to this system, we are responsible for bringing in over $5 billion in compensation and pension benefits to the state every year. That is money going directly to veterans and their families and back into our local economies.

Why would we ever let unregulated, unaccredited middlemen charge thousands of dollars to our military heroes when our military heroes could file their claims for free?

The truth is, this entire problem exists because of a federal policy change in 2006. Congress removed penalties for providing VA claims assistance without accreditation.

While accredited representatives are still strictly regulated and held to high standards, this change opened the door for unaccredited agents to operate without consequence. Since then, a parallel and unregulated industry has grown. It preys on veterans who are already navigating an adversarial and legally complex system.

These so-called consultants misrepresent their services under the illusion of helping veterans or offering choice. In reality, they take advantage of a system with no enforcement, no training requirements, and no ethical standards. They charge unlawful fees, require contracts tied to future benefits, and make claims that would be completely illegal for an accredited representative.

This behavior, known as claims sharking, has been condemned by veterans organizations across the country. These agents are not subject to VA rules. They have no oversight.

They have no obligation to do right by the veteran. The result is denied claims, long delays, predatory contracts, and no recourse for the people who need help the most. Yet the veteran could potentially be out thousands of dollars.

These claim sharks bring veterans in by targeƫing veterans in social media ads like Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook and etc.

That is why SB 694 is so important. It gives California the power to protect its veterans when the federal government will not.

So let’s be clear about what this bill includes:

1. A prohibition on unaccredited claim assistance. SB 694 makes it illegal for anyone who is not VA-accredited to solicit, charge, or contract with a veteran for claims help.
2. Unreasonable fee clarification. The bill defines any fee higher than what the VA allows as“unreasonable,” giving California the ability to hold violators accountable.
3. Veteran data protection. It prohibits unaccredited individuals from requesting a veteran’s login credentials for federal systems, and invalidates any contract that violates this.

Now compare that to the false claims in the original op-ed.

Ms. Dana says this bill takes resources away from veterans. That’s just not true.

Every time a veteran files a claim through their County Veterans Service Office, CalVet provides funding back to that county. That money supports outreach, programs, and services that benefit other veterans in the same community.

But when a veteran files through a claim shark?

They lose up to 30% of their back pay, and their county loses vital funding. The money
leaves the veteran’s wallet, leaves the community, and ends up in the pockets of claim sharks.

Let’s be honest. Claim sharks do not want this bill to pass. The amount of lobbying and misinformation being pumped into op-eds like Ms. Dana’s proves it. This fight isn’t just about policy. It’s about profit.

But our veterans aren’t asking for favors. They’re asking for protection. And we owe them that. Nine states have already passed laws banning or regulating claim sharks. Many more are on the way.

California is not overstepping. We are catching up.

SB 694 doesn’t remove choices. It removes predators. It doesn’t take away access. It makes sure that access is safe, ethical, and real. Pass SB 694!

Robert Tolan is an Army Combat Veteran, a Santa Barbara County Veterans commissioner, founder of Welcome Home Military Heroes, and a dedicated veteran mortgage advisor. He has been advocating for California’s military heroes since the age of 17 and continues to fight for those who served, both on and off the battlefield.