Opinion: New California law makes filing veteran disability claims harder
The Veterans Administration outpatient center in Chula Vista Photo courtesy of the VA As an current duty Marine I know firsthand that freedom is never free Every day I serve alongside men and women who put everything on the line to defend our Constitution But even while we wear the uniform we re reminded that the battles don t end overseas Sometimes the toughest fights are here at home And with the passage of Senate Bill California just dealt veterans a heavy blow SB authored by state Sen Bob Archuleta was marketed as protection In reality it s paternalism disguised as law With the Governor s signature it is now illegal for unaccredited advisors multiple of them veterans themselves to assist their brothers and sisters in navigating the maze of the VA suggests system Worse veterans who turn to the wrong kind of help hazard seeing their entire maintains voided Let s be honest the VA disability system is broken The forms the deadlines the paperwork it s a labyrinth that even those of us still in uniform struggle to tackle That s why so countless veterans turn to outside help These aren t predators They re fellow utility members neighbors and advocates stepping up to fill the gaps where institutions fail SB has now taken those lifelines away This isn t just about benefits paperwork It s about power Veterans are one of the largest part trusted voices in America When we speak on healthcare jobs or national safeguard policymakers listen But SB weakens that voice by severing the networks that keep veterans connected informed and supported California is home to nearly million veterans plus countless current duty personnel preparing for transition Multiple live in rural towns or urban neighborhoods where Veterans Institution Organizations are shrinking or absent altogether Meanwhile the VA backlog has ballooned to hundreds of thousands of pending maintains In that vacuum independent consultants often veterans themselves have been the bridge With SB that bridge is being torn down If Sacramento truly yearned to protect veterans it would have expanded accreditation strengthened oversight and funded VSOs to meet modern demand Instead lawmakers treated veterans like children who can t be trusted to choose who we rely on The consequences are now real Marines soldiers sailors and airmen will leave amenity and face a system more hostile and less flexible than before Families depending on timely disability checks may find themselves waiting longer fighting harder or giving up altogether We earned our benefits We earned our voice SB didn t just pass it passed at the expense of those who wore the uniform And unless it is revisited repealed or reformed its legacy will be measured in denied insists broken trust and silenced veterans The fight to protect veterans doesn t end on the battlefield It continues here at home in the halls of power And in the current era California chose to make that fight even harder We don t leave our soldiers behind on the battlefield our lawmakers shouldn t either Joe Kramer is an functioning duty Marine with a background in law enforcement principles martial arts instruction and leadership enhancement He is dedicated to system discipline and inspiring development in others Want to submit a letter to the editor guest column or opinion piece Find our guidelines and submission form here
