SAFEGUARD Veterans Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Senator Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
Introduced
Summary
Protect veterans from predatory paid representatives. This bill would reinstate criminal penalties for charging unauthorized fees for VA claims and create stricter accreditation, transparency, and oversight to block abusive claim assistance.
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- Veterans and families would face fewer predatory fee charges because the bill would reinstate and expand penalties for unauthorized fees and require claim forms to record who assisted and what fees were charged.
- Paid representatives and others who help with claims would need VA recognition and would go through a new accreditation system with public lists, complaint tools, and narrow definitions of what counts as preparing or prosecuting a claim.
- The VA would have to write rules, report fee and assistance data to Congress, budget for enforcement, add portal warnings about scams, and limits on automated calls to federal numbers to reduce robo‑call targeting.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
VA online registry and warnings
If enacted, VA would run a searchable online registry of accredited agents and attorneys, and list suspended or excluded people. The site would let agents certify recognition and let clients file complaints and report unauthorized fees. VA would give unrepresented claimants the website addresses when it receives an initial claim, put fee‑reporting links on claim portals, and add a form question asking whether the claimant was charged for assistance and who provided it. The bill would also require public VA websites to warn veterans not to share VA or bank log‑in credentials, starting 180 days after enactment.
Ban automated calls to federal agencies
If enacted, the bill would prohibit using automated dialing equipment that can make repeated calls and exchange information to telephone numbers assigned to Federal departments or agencies when the caller is not the person whose information is used. The ban targets calls made without further human intervention after activation. This change would reduce machine‑driven calls to federal agency numbers that can be used for predatory outreach.
Stop improper VA claim fees
If enacted, the bill would ban people from charging fees to prepare, present, or prosecute VA benefit claims except as already allowed by law. It would let the VA criminally punish violators and fine or jail them for up to one year, and bar a person from recognition for one year for a first violation and ten years for later violations. The bill would also make it illegal to help a claimant unless the helper is a VA‑recognized agent or attorney or is directly supervised by one. The VA General Counsel would have to start rulemaking within 90 days to define what counts as preparing, presenting, or prosecuting a claim, and federal rules would override state rules about recognition and fee agreements.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
CT • D
Cosponsors
Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME]
ME • I
Sponsored 6/1/2026
Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
MN • D
Sponsored 6/1/2026
Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI]
WI • D
Sponsored 6/1/2026
Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM]
NM • D
Sponsored 6/1/2026
Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO]
CO • D
Sponsored 6/1/2026
Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI]
RI • D
Sponsored 6/1/2026
Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]
VT • I
Sponsored 6/1/2026
Sen. Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ]
AZ • D
Sponsored 6/1/2026
Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV]
NV • D
Sponsored 6/1/2026
Sen. Kelly, Mark [D-AZ]
AZ • D
Sponsored 6/1/2026
Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH]
NH • D
Sponsored 6/1/2026
Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT]
VT • D
Sponsored 6/1/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov