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WWW.<strong>MHCE</strong>.US Monthly <strong>Newsletter</strong> | 21<br />
Veterans Guardian VA Claim<br />
Consultingopens in a new tab or<br />
window, another unaccredited<br />
company, has a similar billing structure<br />
to that of Trajector, charging clients a<br />
fee equal to 5 months' worth of any<br />
increase in benefits they receive. It takes<br />
a holistic approach to helping veterans<br />
whose cases may be complicated<br />
because they left the military years<br />
ago, for example, or are hoping to<br />
increase their existing disability rating<br />
or receive compensation for other<br />
conditions related to their service, said<br />
Mark Christensen, the company's chief<br />
of staff.<br />
VSOs are well suited to help recently<br />
discharged veterans file initial claims,<br />
which are typically straightforward,<br />
Christensen said, referring to<br />
accredited groups such as the VFW or<br />
Disabled American Veterans. But they<br />
may not be as effective at managing<br />
subsequent claims.<br />
It may be faster to work with a private<br />
company as well, he said. Going<br />
through adjudication with a VAaccredited<br />
lawyer may take years,<br />
he said. "We can take care of it in 6<br />
months."<br />
According to the VA, there is no<br />
statistically significant difference in<br />
the average number of days it takes<br />
any type of filer to complete a ratingrelated<br />
claim. In the current fiscal year,<br />
time frames have ranged from 129.7<br />
days to 139.4 days whether veterans<br />
make a claim unassisted (which would<br />
include those who use unaccredited<br />
representatives) or use VSOs, agents,<br />
or attorneys.<br />
Many of Veterans Guardian's clients<br />
had gone the free route initially,<br />
according to Christensen. In any given<br />
month, 60% to 70% of the company's<br />
clients report they used a free service<br />
in the past, he said, but they often turn<br />
to his company to get a better disability<br />
rating or approval for secondary<br />
conditions.<br />
Prominent veterans groups like the<br />
VFW, American Legion, and Disabled<br />
American Veterans are pressing for<br />
passage of the Guard VA Benefits<br />
Actopens in a new tab or window,<br />
which would rein in certain business<br />
practices by allowing the VA secretary<br />
to impose criminal penalties on people<br />
who charge fees to help veterans file<br />
disability benefit claims without VA<br />
authorization.<br />
Veterans Guardian supports changes<br />
that would allow unaccredited<br />
companies like itself to charge for<br />
services at any point in the process,<br />
as well as place caps on fees, and<br />
prohibitions on having doctors on<br />
the payroll or charging upfront fees.<br />
But the company doesn't support the<br />
Guard Act.<br />
The VA has tried sending ceaseand-desist<br />
letters to unaccredited<br />
companies that the VA found to be<br />
preying on veterans, said Diane Boyd<br />
Rauber, executive director of the<br />
National Organization of Veterans'<br />
Advocates, which trains accredited<br />
attorneys and agents.<br />
"The problem is that the VA only has<br />
authority to go after someone who's<br />
accredited," she said. "Part of the<br />
intent of the Guard Act is to give the<br />
VA some teeth."