I grew up in a military household. As a daughter and sister of veterans, and someone who made a career working in U.S. military strategy and serving government agencies, I’ve spent my entire life around those who wear the uniform.

That’s why I’m deeply concerned about a recent federal court ruling that affects not only veterans themselves, but the families, doctors, caregivers, and community advocates who help those veterans navigate the VA's complicated benefits system.

A federal judge issued a ruling on May 20th, effectively stating that individuals acting as “agents” in the preparation of veterans’ disability claims must be accredited with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In this case, the court ruled that consulting firm Veterans Guardian didn’t have the legal authority to assist veterans with preparing and filing VA claims because it wasn’t officially VA-accredited, as federal law requires.

That law exists, in part, to provide veterans free claims assistance through VA-accredited Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) such as the American Legion, VFW, and county veterans service officers. But perhaps quite concerningly, it also helps the accredited trial attorneys, who make a lot of money handling those claims, by eliminating the........

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