The Minnesota Commanders’ Task Force — a collaboration of The American Legion, AMVETS, DAV, JWV, Marine Corps League, MOPH, PVA and VFW — calls on Minnesota state lawmakers to pass the anti-fraud measures to stop claim sharks taking advantage of our veterans.

The time is now.

Our veteran service officers across the state and at the federal building at Fort Snelling see claim sharks take advantage of our veterans over and over and over. Claim sharking is a classic numbers game.

The sharks typically work under the name of an important-sounding consulting company with the word “veterans” in it. Usually based out-of-state, they promote their services online and receive a handful of responses. From those, they get enough veterans to believe their sales pitch. They charge money, often upfront.

Accredited service officers end up doing the VA claim work anyway. It is a service the veterans receive at no charge and with no need to speak with a shark.

The landscape for this bill keeps changing in the Senate and House. We hope as the two chambers meet in conference committee this session they see fit to protect Minnesota veterans.

The language we favor requires accreditation, just like so many fields require. Plumber. Electrician. Lawyer. Teacher. Casual advice from a veteran downtown at the local post is one thing. Paid advice from an authority is another.

It is against federal law to charge veterans for filing an initial claim. Unaccredited parties known by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as “claims predators” have skirted federal law by stating their high-priced services are “advising” and “consulting” on VA benefits and not actual representation.

Examples of shady tactics unaccredited parties have used include gaining access to veterans’ VA login and password, gaining access to their bank account, promising a 100 percent rating and stating they can speed up a claim. No matter who represents a veteran on federal benefits matters, it is not possible to speed up the VA. There is no such thing as a claim guarantee. Those are lies.

Other schemes include sending veterans to a private physician for a medical opinion while advising them not to see a VA provider and even submitting an intent to file to establish an effective date while holding back the claim itself until as close to the year deadline as possible to maximize the backpay the agent will take a cut from.

We get that veterans will consult paid attorneys or claims representatives after an initial claim is represented. These specialized attorneys and representatives are VA-accredited. Thus, they should not be mistaken for unaccredited claim sharks.

Three other states have passed laws to curb fraudulent activity on VA claims. Minnesota has a long history of strong consumer protection. Minnesota has a long history of support for veterans and their benefits. Finally, Minnesota has a long history of protecting vulnerable adults. These are nonpartisan issues.

Ask your state senator and representative to make Minnesota the fourth state to stop claim sharks. Don’t accept any of their lengthy excuses.

— Dr. Carl Moon is the state commander for The American Legion, and he is the chairman for the Minnesota Commanders’ Task Force. He is a retired St. Cloud VA eye doctor who lives in Walker and is a member of Zimmerman Post 560.