House passes bill seeking to shield veterans from fraud

The House easily passed legislation on Monday aimed to prevent scams targeted at elderly veterans seeking pension benefits.

The bill, passed by voice vote, would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to post a notice on its website to warn veterans of predatory practices.

The VA provides qualifying low-income veterans with an additional pension benefit to help with the costs of assisted living or in-home personal care. The application process is free, but lawmakers warned that some scam artists have tried to convince veterans that they need to pay a fee, so they can pocket the money themselves.

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“Practices such as these leave vulnerable elderly veterans with few choices outside of draining their remaining assets,” said Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Pa.), the legislation’s author.

Veteran service organizations like the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars provide assistance at no charge to veterans who need help filling out applications.

Lawmakers considered Monday’s legislation, along with a slate of other bills geared toward veterans this week, ahead of the Veterans Day holiday on Saturday.

The House is set to pass an additional measure later Monday that would require the VA to submit a report to Congress on its organizational structure.

Lawmakers are also expected to consider bills later this week to allow VA medical professionals to practice telemedicine across state borders and provide mental health care to veterans who are currently otherwise ineligible because of the circumstances under which they were discharged.