Rep. Pappas and Rep. Bacon Introduce Bill to Criminalize Predatory Fees on Veterans' Benefits
The SAFEGUARD Veterans Act of 2026 is in the early stages of the legislative process and has been sent to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Committee on Energy and Commerce for review. Since June 1, 2026, no further action has been taken on the bill. It is currently stalled because most bills do not receive a committee vote.
This bill has strong bipartisan support and addresses a popular issue, but many bills struggle to get through the full legislative process during a busy session.
Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
Small businesses and independent consultants that currently help veterans file VA claims without being officially accredited by the VA would face criminal penalties under this bill. Companies that charge fees for claim coaching, form preparation, or filing assistance would need to either get accredited or stop offering those services entirely. This represents a significant business model disruption for the growing industry of unaccredited VA claim consultants.
Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
No votes or news coverage recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
SAFEGUARD Veterans Act of 2026
Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.