While Veterans are finally gaining the protections and choices they deserve through sweeping reforms, the Washington Post’s recent article presented a narrative far removed from the facts. The Nov. 5th article on disability claims assistance didn’t just mischaracterize an industry; it overlooked the most significant consumer-protection effort for Veterans happening anywhere in the country. The Post suggested a landscape without rules, accountability, or standards. In reality, the past two years have yielded the strongest regulatory framework this field has ever had, developed through the coordinated efforts of the National Association for Veterans Rights (NAVR) and the states that partnered with us. That progress was absent from the article, and NAVR was never contacted to provide the context readers deserved.
Eight states, including Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Tennessee, have now enacted sweeping laws that transform the way legitimate organizations may assist Veterans. These laws did not emerge spontaneously. They were crafted not only with NAVR’s guidance, but also with the expertise and on-the-ground experience of our alliance members, who helped shape practical, enforceable standards that truly protect Veterans. The Post’s narrative assumes that private companies inherently threaten Veterans or compete improperly with VSOs. That view ignores the reality that many Veterans want a different option after past experiences or prefer a different level of support. Veteran choice is not a problem to be solved; it is a right to be protected.
The reforms these states enacted directly reflect that philosophy. They authorize reputable companies to operate within a structured, transparent framework while giving regulators real enforcement authority to eliminate deceptive or misleading actors. Fees must be tied strictly to increased benefits, and financial terms must be disclosed in writing. VA login credentials cannot be used under any circumstances. Data must remain within the United States. Background checks are required, conflicts of interest are tightly restricted, and organizations must maintain records for audit purposes. These are not suggestions; they are statutory requirements that are reshaping the industry so Veterans receive honest, accountable assistance.
To support these reforms, NAVR created a National Compliance Manual, the nation’s first and only comprehensive regulatory guide for this field. NAVR’s alliance members must follow this framework, which exceeds every existing state requirement and incorporates additional rules on marketing, disclosures, data security, conflict-of-interest safeguards, and internal quality controls. These organizations are the good actors in this space, operating under standards no other association has developed, adopted, or enforced. Yet the Post’s article failed to distinguish between those who follow these rules and those who do not.
The result was a narrative that ignored both the progress already achieved and the national infrastructure NAVR has built to protect Veterans. Far from being unregulated, this space now has the clearest guardrails it has ever had, and NAVR drove that reform. Veterans earned their benefits, and they deserve a system that protects their choices with real accountability, not outdated assumptions or incomplete reporting. That is the work NAVR will continue leading, state by state, to ensure Veterans receive the honest, compliant support they deserve.
About the Author:
Peter O’Rourke is the President of the National Association for Veterans Rights (NAVR), former Acting Secretary and Chief of Staff of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and a U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force Veteran.