Legislators Must “Save” Georgia’s Veterans
This is a guest post by Craig Lutz, a USAF Veteran, former Hall County Commissioner, and a service-disabled veteran.
For the soldier, there is no duty more sacred than the call to serve one’s country. For our country, there is no sacrifice greater than that made by those killed or injured in the pursuit of protecting the freedoms of Americans. To honor these men and women who given so much for our country, it must then be our responsibility as Americans to ensure that they receive the best possible care available. Representative Dan Lipinski said it best; “On the battlefield, the military pledges to leave no soldier behind. As a nation, let it be our pledge that when they return home, we leave no veteran behind.”
Unfortunately, in many ways our country has fallen short of living up to this solemn responsibility – particularly when it comes to providing veterans who were injured in the line of service with their hard-earned VA disability benefits. Today, more than 25% of pending VA claims for disability compensation and benefits are considered to be backlogged, or older than 125 days. With more than 600,000 veterans in the Peach State, many in our own backyard have been affected by these shortcomings. Thankfully, Georgia lawmakers have answered the call and are taking steps at the local level to help ease the burden for veterans in our state.
As a service-disabled veteran myself, I can attest to the fact that navigating VA processes and procedures is notoriously complex and time-consuming, often necessitating specialized assistance. This is doubly so for the VA disability claims process since the system is set up to make it a conflict of interest for the VA to help the veteran obtain benefits. As a result, many veterans rely on the expertise of outside help, including private consultants who possess specialized knowledge and experience to navigate this complicated system effectively. HB 108, the Safeguarding American Veteran Empowerment Act or SAVE Act, is a market-driven solution that would better position Georgia’s veterans to take advantage of the valuable services that these experts can provide by amending Georgia’s Fair Business Practices Act to establish guardrails and industry standards around their engagement.
By establishing clear rules to ensure that our veterans are not taken advantage of when securing benefits, including limits on fees and mandatory written disclosures that clarify non-affiliation with official veterans’ services, it would protect veterans and other eligible individuals applying for benefits from any potential bad actors that may not have their best interests at heart. The bill also provides additional safeguards that prohibit referral fees and require background checks for those handling veterans’ sensitive information and treats any violations of the law as deceptive and unfair trade practices that carry criminal penalties.
Such changes would empower Georgia veterans to decide how to best find a solution to meet their needs regarding benefits claims and should be seen as a compliment to and not in competition with existing avenues of assistance. The fact of the matter is, at this current moment there is more of a demand for assistance than resources available. With VA disability claims likely to increase in coming years, that need will also continue to grow.
VA Accredited attorneys, one of the main avenues of assistance, generally do not involve themselves until after an appeal has been filed with regards to disability benefits, leaving veterans to navigate the initial of this complicated system themselves. Veteran Service Organizations (VSO) on the other hand, have done a great job of providing assistance and relief to veterans across the country, but they can only do so much, especially in a large state like Georgia.
While there might be several active VSOs in the metro Atlanta area, for example, there may only be only a few smaller chapters in rural south and in the north Georgia Mountains. This in effect can lead to a misallocation of resources and allow geography to dictate outcomes. Private consulting agents can help fill that gap, ensuring that veterans receive expert guidance regardless of their location.
History has shown us time and time again that free market solutions breed the most innovative, practical, and efficient solutions to problems. Our veterans deserve a system that is accessible, easy to navigate and provides options that allow them to achieve the best possible outcome. The SAVE Act would accomplish this goal and state legislators should act swiftly to help pass this important bill.
