THE COURT HAS DECIDED For VA Disability Claims And The Elephant In The Room

Added: 2026-05-30

[00:00:00]This is the biggest news that has dropped in the VA claim space this year in 2026. And we have Elizabeth Hartman.

[00:00:08]If you don't know her as a veteran, you absolutely should. She's like an investigative journalist, if you will, and she has weighed in on this topic and has pulled quotes from other people.

[00:00:18]She's done the work. Um, and she's she's much smarter than me on this topic, and I've been waiting for her response. So, here we go. Elizabeth Hartman, by the way, this is her Substack. If you like more content from her, I'm going to drop all of her stuff down below in the pinned comment. All right, but May 27th, 2026, the illegal business model behind VA claims consulting. A federal judge dismantled the legal fiction behind the VA claim consulting industry and confirmed the facts um were never actually in dispute. Here we go. On May 20th, this just went down.

[00:00:59]All right. Nine days ago, Chief United States District Judge Katherine C.

[00:01:04]Eagles of the Middle District of North Carolina issued a ruling in Ford v.

[00:01:10]Veterans Guardian VA Claim Consulting LLC. That should have been unnecessary because both the law and the facts were, in the court's own words, undisputed and had been for years.

[00:01:24]The evidence is undisputed that guardian is not accredited that on behalf of veterans. It prepares claims forms that in those forms it presents disability claims for decision by the VA and it charges fees for doing so. These actions violate federal law. If I was to translate this this into layman veteran speak. Claim companies have been saying we don't prepare claims. We just help the veteran. We educate the veteran. we consult the veteran. We do everything else but prepare. And the court is like, "Well, you're saying that, but you're preparing the claim. What you're doing is illegal."

[00:02:03]All right. The court didn't say Guardian might have violated federal law. It didn't say the question was close.

[00:02:12]It said the evidence was undisputed.

[00:02:14]That's a deliberate word choice in legal opinion. It means there was nothing to argue about. The facts weren't in con in contest.

[00:02:24]The uh the company simply did what the law says you cannot do. They charged veterans for claims processing and then spent years and presumably considerable legal fees arguing that the words of the law didn't mean what they plainly say.

[00:02:40]The argument is now over.

[00:02:44]Veterans Guardian VA Claim Consulting presented itself as a consultant, not a representative, not an agent, not anything that would trigger the federal accreditation requirements under 38 USC 5901.

[00:02:57]If the word consultant sounds familiar, it's the exact same title the likes of Kate Monroe and Lucas.

[00:03:06]I I can't pronounce this last name. I do apologize. I'm just going to say Lucas S. I don't want to try to pronounce it.

[00:03:13]have dawned in attempts to shield themselves from legal liability. So this is Vetcom and this is vet claims.ai.

[00:03:21]Their business models depend entirely on that distinction. Consultant not representative holding up the court. It didn't. Now I do have um the vetcom there's a we won't even if you saw my meme today you know what I'm talking about. Um for vet claims.ai AI. I'm curious if the AI platform is filling out the forms, if it's a form filler, because then, and I again, I'm no legal expert, but if this AI platform is doing the preparation, that's a that's a tool. It's not someone filling out the forms for you for you. I don't know the legalities around that, but I do think the a the vet claims.ai, not to be confused with veteran AI, those are two different one's a claim company, one's a strict tool for veterans. Um, I do think something is going to be going on here that's probably in his favor if I had to guess.

[00:04:27]All right, here's what the undisputed record shows Veterans Guardian actually did for its clients. It obtained their military service records and medical records. It developed extensive questionnaires to identify potential disabilities. It reviewed those records to determine what claims to file. It identified additional evidence needed and arranged medical appointments. It conducted medical research. It drafted and filled out the VA disability claim forms. It assembled complete claim packets. It printed those packets, addressed envelopes to the VA, paid the postage, added sign here tabs, and mailed the whole thing to the veteran with instructions on what to do next. Right. I don't think vet claims.ai does that.

[00:05:10]Lucas and his team. Now, I'm not sure, but I don't think they do that because it would be an AI platform would be my assumption.

[00:05:22]Anyways, that's a that's a whole different that's just a side thought.

[00:05:27]The veteran's job was to check the form for accuracy, sign where indicated, and drop the envelope in the mail. That's not consulting. That's preparation of a VA disability claim, which is precisely what federal law says you can't do without VA accreditation. The fee structure was equally straightforward.

[00:05:43]Veterans Guardian charge clients five times the monthly increase in their disability compensation on an initial claim which accredited agents are legally prohibited from charging for at all. Um yeah, dude, that true.

[00:06:02]If accredited agents and attorneys could charge on the initial claims and increases, we'd all be multi-millionaires.

[00:06:10]Named pliff Brian Beard received 100% disability rating and a monthly benefit of 4272.

[00:06:17]Veterans Guardian invoiced him $21,360.

[00:06:27]Name plaintiff Brian Otter. Yes, both named Brian. Yes, I know this is confusing. Fared only slightly better.

[00:06:34]His rating increased from 70 to 90%. His monthly compensation went up $599.33 and Veterans Guardian charged him just under $3,000.

[00:06:47]This is insane.

[00:06:50]I mean, they're both insane. Really, this is insane.

[00:06:55]The class action complaint alleges Veterans Guardian collected more than 250 million from veterans during the relevant period. The company's entire legal defense rested on a single argument that because Veterans technically signed the forms and mailed the packets themselves, Veterans Guardian wasn't acting as an agent. It was just advising, educating, and consulting.

[00:07:16]How many How many people have used these words?

[00:07:24]Judge Eagles destroyed the argument with a kind of directness that should embarrass the lawyers who made it. What a what a This is Man, dude. Elizabeth Hartman, she's a good writer. That is a slap in the face. Wow. The court found that the label a company attaches to its services is not controlling. It's the conduct that matters. It found that Veterans Guardian had actual authority from clients to investigate their situations, develop evidence, make medical appointments, and fill out claims forms.

[00:07:59]It found that requiring the veteran to sign and physically mail the form didn't change what Veterans Guardian had done in the preceding weeks and months. The court also noted that deserves special recognition. Veterans Guardian instructed veterans in writing not to tell the VA they had been working with Veterans Guardian.

[00:08:28]Uh, shady is the best case scenario for this statement.

[00:08:34]The cover letter sent with each claim packet told clients not to identify to the veteran has been working with veterans guardian because nothing screams fraud quite like instructing clients not to mention your involvement to f federal regulators. They knew what they were doing and they attempted poorly to hide it. This ruling didn't happen in a vacuum. The VA sent Veterans Guardian cease and desist letters in January 2019 and again in August of 24.

[00:09:00]Both letters told the company in plain terms that it was acting as an unacredited agent and needed to stop.

[00:09:06]Veterans Guardian kept going.

[00:09:09]Five years passed between the first season desist and the second. Another two years passed before this ruling and during all that time, the company continued collecting fees. fees that accredited agents cannot legally charge for initial claims at all and fees that would have been subject to a VA reasonleness review on non-initial claims if the company had ever disclosed its involvement to the VA which its own instructions told veterans not to do.

[00:09:36]Andrew P. Gross, founder of Guideon Law in Townsen, Maryland and a veterans law practitioner for nearly two decades put it plainly.

[00:09:45]the court. I've had Andrew uh Andy Gross on this channel way back in the day. Um he's a good dude. Good. If you're looking for an attorney, I'd recommend him.

[00:09:56]The court in North Carolina saw straight through it. Not just do these companies charge a contingency fee based on a multiple of what the veteran receives as an increase, they also prepare the documents, help in submitting the documents, arrange for exams, review medical records, and so on. This isn't an educational company or consultant given guidance. This is bespoke planning based on information that is specific to each and every veteran. Gross added that should be the defining observation about this entire industry. I've been a lawyer for just shy of two decades and I've never realized that you could get away with the rules just by saying that they don't apply to you. John Mucklebower, general counsel of the VFW of the United States, called it what it is for years.

[00:10:41]The VFW has argued that unacredited claims companies cannot avoid federal law simply by calling themselves consultants or coaches. The court looked beyond the marketing language and focus on the conduct itself. The court made clear these facts were undisputed that matters. It demonstrates that the law is not unclear or outdated as the industry has repeatedly claimed. Buckle Bower's emphasis on undisputed tracks exactly with the VFW's long-held institutional position. This was never a close legal question. The companies argued it was a gray area because calling it a gray area was profitable. It wasn't gray. The for the court confirmed that Veterans Guardian and companies like it didn't just operate in a legal gray zone. They lobbied in one. Oh yes, they did.

[00:11:31]hundreds of millions of dollars on state in the states and at the federal level.

[00:11:37]They walked into congressional offices and told staffers and members that they were giving veterans a choice. They argued they were filling a gap the VSOs and and accredited representatives couldn't fill, that their clients were satisfied customers who had received benefits they wouldn't have gotten otherwise.

[00:11:55]Some of that may even be true. The court didn't find that veterans guardian work was ineffective. It found that the work was illegal.

[00:12:06]And while they were making that argument on Capitol Hill, they were printing money. Andy Gross's estimate of 8 figure annual revenue is consistent with the class actions allegation of 250 million extracted over the class period. That kind of revenue buys access. Hell, the fraud even bought Kate Monroe flights to the Canes. I don't even know what that is.

[00:12:32]I'll look it up after this. I assume it's somewhere luxurious.

[00:12:36]The combined efforts of these predatory actors have fueled a sustained lobbying effort to legitimize through legislation and work with various veteran service organizations where the courts are now confirming was legal was never legal to begin with. And before anyone asks, yes, I have the documents. As you should all know by now, I don't write without the receipts. I have recorded emails showing that the American Legion's own legislative team has actively worked to allow these organizations into the claim space. The same American Legion that collects dues from veterans these companies were billing 21,000 a pop. You really cannot make this stuff up, but apparently you can invoice it. American Legion, what what are you doing? What are you doing over here?

[00:13:21]While certain other veteran or service organizations were busy running interference for these companies, the VFW released a statement with actual teeth. Their statement called on Congress and the VA to use it as a basis for stronger enforcement and to continue opposing state level efforts aimed at legitimizing fee charging companies operating outside the VA accreditation framework. There are active state level legislative efforts in multiple states to carve out space for exactly this kind of company. Those efforts now carry the weight of a federal court ruling that says the conduct at issue violates federal law. Yep.

[00:14:01]Um the VFW I mean sorry the VA Virginia abbreviation VA just passed a bill that is friendly to veterans guardian. I'm not going to read this part.

[00:14:16]Veterans Guardian is not the only company in the space. It's simply the one that is now subject of a certified class action, a summary judgement ruling, and $250 million in alleged illegal fees. Companies operating similar models collecting contingency fees from veterans for claims preparation and submission while disclaiming accreditation include VA Claims Insider, Vet Claims.ai, AI and my personal favorite abomination, Vetcom.

[00:14:42]Each operate under various coaching and consulting frameworks designed to do exactly what Judge Eagles just said cannot be done. So these three are big companies. There are hundreds hundreds multiple hundreds of these companies.

[00:15:01]In closing, the consultant label is not a shield. The contract language disclaiming representation is not a shield. and instructing veterans not to mention your involvement to the VA is not a shield. I for one am thrilled that words finally have meaning again. This is her substack. All it's called all due respect. Um it's really great. It honestly is. I'm going to post this link down below in the pen comments. Um if you like this content from her, she's got some juicy stuff in the veteran space. Highly recommend you go subscribe to her. All right, you've made it all the way to the end and you listen, you can stand listening to me um read what you're looking at, I definitely appreciate it. All right, peace.