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Juan Corral Las Cruces BulletinNew Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez filed a lawsuit against Disabled Veterans Consultants for allegedly collecting payments for consulting services to veterans that accredited organizations offer for free.
Torrez announced the lawsuit from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post, 5845 Bataan Memorial West, in Las Cruces on April 3. Officials from various veteran groups attended.
The company did not respond to requests for comment.
The complaint alleges that the company charged for services that are offered for free elsewhere and violated both federal law and Veterans Affairs rules. The complaint says that the company marketed itself as being able to offer quicker turnaround times with benefit claims but when submitting veterans’ applications but VA rules mandate that all claims go into the same processing line and are processed in order of receipt.
“Our veterans have sacrificed and fought for our country and deserve to be treated with the utmost respect – not taken advantage of by businesses illegally seeking to make a profit off of their earned benefits,” Torrez said.
“One of the things that has come out in conversations that I have had with the veterans here today is not just the problem with claim sharks generally, and not just a problem with…businesses who are engaged in this kind of behavior but the way the government itself has failed,” he said.
Torrez said the government has failed its legal and moral obligations to help veterans of this country. He added that the veterans requested to have new services into the state budget so they can be offered free support.
“In a time where we once again have record budget surpluses in the state and when we have grown the budget by historic terms over the last several years, that request was stripped from the state budget,” Torrez said. “I did not know about it until today, but rest assured, that is something my office and I will be advocating for in the future.”
Torrez said he is asking if any veterans that were taken advantage of by a company offering fraudulent services should reach out to his office for restitution.
“We are going to be working through our constituent services department to process any new information,” he said.
Nine states have already passed anti-claim shark laws prohibiting companies from charging veterans for initial claims. Those states are Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, New York, Massachusetts, and Washington.
Commander Brian Ravak of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, who spoke with Torrez, said he wants to see an end brought to “claim sharks.”
“We stand united before you today, Veterans of Foreign Borders, American Legion and Disabled American Veterans in full support of the New Mexico Department of Justice to bring an end to the predatory claim shark activities in New Mexico,” Ravak said.
He said the practice preys on veterans.
“These illegal and unethical practices must end now. Those companies profiting and preying on our veterans must be held accountable,” Ravak said.
Ravak said he would like to see New Mexico pass proposed House Bill 245.
“Prohibiting, receiving compensation for assisting a person to obtain veterans benefits except as permitted under federal law, I urge our state [Legislature] to pass HB 245,” Ravak said.
