Guest Commentary
By Armando Castro
When I came back from Afghanistan, I thought the worst was over. But figuring out how to claim my veterans’ benefits turned out to be another war, one fought with confusing forms, unanswered calls, and endless delays.
For months, I tried to handle it all myself. I called the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offices, and most of the time, no one answered. I sent in documents, only to be told later they couldn’t find them. Every step seemed designed to wear you down.
Eventually, I began to understand the system through trial and error — and a lot of patience. I learned how to fill out the forms, track requests online, and stay calm when letters arrived with more questions than answers. Later, I decided to use what I’d learned to help other veterans in my neighborhood. I started to understand why many veterans make the choice to turn to alternative sources for help with their claims, and why some make helping their fellow veterans into a profession.
We meet at a café or in the church parking lot on Saturdays. We share information, review documents, and try to make sure no one misses out on the benefits they earned through their service. It’s simple camaraderie like in the military: No one gets left behind. In many towns, when those traditional methods from the VA are unreachable, professional claims consultants, often veterans themselves, help fill the gap to assist veterans with their claims to ensure they get the rating they deserve.
Now, California’s proposed SB 694 would turn that help into a potential crime. The bill states that only “accredited consultants” approved by the VA can charge a fee to assist a veteran with claims or appeals, and if an “unaccredited” person helps, the VA could invalidate the entire case.
They say this law protects veterans from scammers. But what it really does is shrink the options available for veterans who need help the most.
California is home to 1.5 million veterans, the largest population in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (2025). The system is overwhelmed. There are more than 630,000 pending claims and around 135,000 backlogged nationwide, according to official figures published this year.
Traditional organizations that used to help with claims, known as VSOs, are running out of staff and resources. Many of their representatives are aging volunteers who can no longer keep up with demand. That’s where these claims consultants, often veterans helping other veterans, step in to offer professional guidance and support.
The SB 694 proposal doesn’t distinguish between a scammer and a fellow veteran offering professional services. If it passes, thousands of veterans will be left stranded without guidance or support.
I didn’t risk my life in Afghanistan just to be told that I can’t make my own decisions on how I go about preparing my benefits claims. If the state truly wants to protect us, it should strengthen the VA’s services and resources, not criminalize solidarity.
SB 694 doesn’t protect veterans. It leaves them alone, once again, facing a system that seems to forget those who have already given everything.
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Castro is a U.S. Army Ranger and San Diego veteran.