[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6292929,"mediaKeyId","2524674-ec92c0db2602bc6772b2244cb8c75df9","parentId",2524674,"title","Senate committee adopts committee substitute that limits some paid assistance for veterans’ benefit claims","audioSeconds",3103,"startMs",645000,"endMs",3748000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2524674-ec92c0db2602bc6772b2244cb8c75df9&start=645&end=3748","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2524674-ec92c0db2602bc6772b2244cb8c75df9/thumbnail_645000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6292929/West-Virginia/Senate-committee-adopts-committee-substitute-that-limits-some-paid-assistance-for-veterans-benefit-claims","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6292929-51c01428654b4a6f8d5d7026aad0dc2c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771016280&Signature=TIv02SzLG1nXEwUUNNAeF1bfaEabTIU9L1aWvIwQY6rzL9rT6NN-OBisKkqtGuPJQV2CmvlyA-VOMNMXsWJzaJKLa~Bz43PzHbM1T4BWwoXi5tsHNdY5RRpVdzzDp4qcJmk43bRqhSfeflT3HQENyF2rSxP~UYCLvBhFbkjiWn33sgYIDe27kixVTrvLFgPCuL3PHPNtE-1pRTMe9dMV0G0lsu584Xzn0bUxng1~xBxWVNq-GWkzkHCN~YZZBuyRe5Aecx2Do9FBTUx9pcCbBnQZl9u--F~QO6BBTecUPssNepB9SvGS5hvYhjkSgWr2z4djyvtQ113Ra-EIst6GYw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","West Virginia Legislature","date","2025-03-07T00:00:00Z","article","The committee substitute for Senate Bill 658 would limit when a person may receive compensation for assisting veterans with Department of Veterans Affairs benefit claims, require written fee agreements to be filed with the VA before fees are paid, and make certain violations subject to the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act.

Committee counsel summarized the substitute as generally prohibiting compensation for services rendered in connection with a veteran’s benefits matter except as allowed by federal law. Counsel said the substitute would bar certain practices that have drawn complaints: receiving compensation for referring a veteran to a third party, receiving payment for services rendered before the VA acts on a claim, guaranteeing veterans a specific outcome, charging excessive or unreasonable fees (with excessiveness defined by federal guidelines), and collecting contingent fees for providing medical evidence or expert testimony that are not agreed in advance.

Three witnesses testified. James A. Dodrill, retired Air Force and co‑chair of the State Bar Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs, told the panel he had assisted veterans and said he encountered companies he described as “claim sharks” that charge substantially higher fees than accredited representatives and sometimes misrepresent that they submit claims on veterans’ behalf. Dodrill said such firms can take ‘‘five times the amount of the monthly increase’’ from a veteran’s back pay and cited materials estimating large sums taken from veterans nationally.

Chris Hall, representing Veterans Guardian VA Claim Consulting, told the committee not all private claims consultants are bad actors and argued the private sector provides an option when accredited representatives are unavailable; he said Veterans Guardian discloses in writing that free services exist, that Veterans Guardian is not accredited by the VA and is not affiliated with the VA, and that it does not take a portion of back pay. He urged maintaining a private-sector option while strengthening consumer protections such as disclosures, background checks and contingent-fee limits.

Ryan Kennedy, cabinet secretary for the West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance, told the committee the department operates 38 accredited veterans service officers (VSOs) in 15 offices around the state who provide free, accredited assistance and can be disciplined by the VA Office of General Counsel. Kennedy said accreditation provides an enforcement mechanism absent for unaccredited actors and that about 40% of representation complaints to the VA involve unaccredited individuals.

The committee agreed to the committee substitute on a voice vote. The junior senator from the fifth then moved that the committee substitute be reported to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass; the motion passed by voice vote. Committee members said they would consult with the Finance Committee chair where required and noted the substitute removed some disclosure language that had been present in the introduced version.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","WV Senate Military Committee in Session Mar 7, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Senate Military Committee adopted a committee substitute for S.B. 658 that restricts when paid consultants can be compensated for assisting veterans with VA claims, requires written fee agreements, and brings violations under the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature WV, West Virginia","taxId",77714,"location","West Virginia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6292934,"Committee approves change expanding who qualifies as a disabled veteran for a property tax credit",255,377000,632000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2524674-ec92c0db2602bc6772b2244cb8c75df9&start=377&end=632","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2524674-ec92c0db2602bc6772b2244cb8c75df9/thumbnail_377000.jpg","/articles/6292934/West-Virginia/Committee-approves-change-expanding-who-qualifies-as-a-disabled-veteran-for-a-property-tax-credit","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6292934-d720c43e2993025e093e6891ea88ffa1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771016280&Signature=VtQ97KA6Y~Q4maYbpjyGVDuxqsAjD0Sy5j7TPP4pmvNqj5Bftig-YFq4JI1V9hv4Yt-6BC0K6B~tzGB6HaIhJ8PCyAn33JVuw5x5WB8~68Elj63qr2KTjU1Ut4cRM0dhzT-YzcPBD37LFpWJP1G5TVfUIu3sGNn~~7pQtSDrypzAOeGgu~phZ2rj~G42lJw98E6AG4O3AJEPm8bt9Hb0bzPAtPm~qBeu7qIEguQl2vx7bzuYfazK5upuQF2B6uVlnNR6H4iTcbfo~rVfmjrBO6RrM4aMLPUQwjFz1rATwMI7F~UjL~6GxB84Csht8oKAHkQ5L~9vU-oufFRRY9dOVQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 666 would amend the West Virginia Property Tax Adjustment Act to expand the statutory definition of a “disabled veteran taxpayer” used for certain tax credits, including a personal income tax credit equal to real property taxes paid on a veteran’s residence.

Committee counsel told the Senate Military Committee the bill makes a definitional change so that a disabled veteran taxpayer may be either a veteran rated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as 90% or greater service‑connected disabled, or a veteran who meets the VA’s requirements for individual unemployability due to a service‑related injury sustained on or since Sept. 11, 2001. Counsel said the change was requested by the West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance because the prior statutory language did not track actual VA standards.

Senators discussed whether the use of the Sept. 11, 2001 date might exclude veterans injured earlier; committee counsel and members said the date language reflects a federal definitional standard used elsewhere in code and in other bills. The senior senator from the fourth asked whether the change would unintentionally exclude earlier veterans; committee counsel said the earlier drafting referenced “90% totally and permanently disabled,” which was not an accurate definitional standard, and the committee intended to avoid removing benefits from eligible veterans.

The junior senator from the fifth moved that S.B. 666 be reported to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass and, under its original double reference, be first referred to the Finance Committee. The motion passed on a voice vote. The chair said he would speak with the Finance Committee chair about waiving the second reference.","Senate Bill 666 expands the state definition of a disabled veteran taxpayer to include veterans eligible for individual unemployability from service-related injury on or since Sept. 11, 2001.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6292939,"Senate committee approves bill to add Space Force to armed forces definitions",54,292000,346000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2524674-ec92c0db2602bc6772b2244cb8c75df9&start=292&end=346","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2524674-ec92c0db2602bc6772b2244cb8c75df9/thumbnail_292000.jpg","/articles/6292939/West-Virginia/Senate-committee-approves-bill-to-add-Space-Force-to-armed-forces-definitions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6292939-518157f2e5de6374593a72c8dc6ca21d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771016280&Signature=khJWfy7U66xaKWYcEkSpxQyddVXTXwwKSDoqAEFqTxn98BQLNaiUVzIXynoFxFpjtko5GFHUA23ahIITBJOMSQFyHAtvTQHVayfIdYM0R8IyxBnGapYqxtyQQVNIrJP49ZnA6I~8UCVCCAc9eFVSHs9-8GwykI6EB2HJCTQEZfevp~uL2tzc9lMIx~f9V~0XMQllpe7t7HvtZdKhZid7N-0xrZO41J2JpkgeLBwXSWaqpfFEY9lbtpuiISFWBc9hNgfuCNQcHQTAGE3IWc5WKqynV27rjoKVNV27dXszrkvYbrv9oxMzFfvogb2eKXgH7B1mc2W8TVMgKW4W2KJUlg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","House Bill 2053 would add the United States Space Force to statutory lists that define the branches of the armed forces and make several technical corrections to related code sections.

The bill, introduced to the West Virginia Senate Military Committee on Oct. 12, 2025, was explained by committee counsel as a set of definition updates affecting 11 sections across nine chapters of state code. Counsel said the change simply “amends those defined terms to include the Space Force” and otherwise makes technical corrections.

The change drew no substantive debate. The junior senator from the fifth moved that the in-committee substitute for H.B. 2053 be reported to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass and, under the bill’s original double-reference, be sent first to the Finance Committee. The motion passed on voice vote; the committee chair said he will ask the finance chair to consider waiving the second reference because counsel said there is no fiscal impact.

The committee’s action forwards the measure to the full Senate with a recommendation to pass. No fiscal estimate or implementation plan was introduced during the committee discussion.","The West Virginia Senate Military Committee voted to report House Bill 2053 to the full Senate after counsel explained the bill’s technical edits to state code to include the United States Space Force among listed armed forces.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Senate committee adopts committee substitute that limits some paid assistance for veterans’ benefit claims

Committee approves change expanding who qualifies as a disabled veteran for a property tax credit

Senate committee approves bill to add Space Force to armed forces definitions