Veterans Accredited Representatives: What To Know

Veterans Accredited Representatives are authorized by the Department of Veterans Affairs to assist veterans with their VA benefits claims. Here’s what to know:

1. Who they are: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) accredits three types of representatives—Veterans Service Organization (VSO) representatives, attorneys, and agents—to ensure that claimants can access responsible and qualified representation for their VA benefits claims.

VA-accredited representatives must have good moral character and be capable of providing competent representation; the VA’s Office of General Counsel is responsible for making those determinations through its accreditation process.

• The VSO certifies that the representative possesses good character and is fit to represent veterans and their family as an employee or member of their organization.
  
• An attorney is a member in good standing of at least one State bar. When an attorney applies for VA accreditation, VA presumes that the attorney possesses the good character and fitness necessary to represent veterans and their family based on the attorney’s state license to practice law.
  
• An accredited claims agent undergoes a character review by OGC and passes a written examination about VA law and procedures.
  

2. How to find one: The VA Office of General Counsel maintains a list of VA-recognized organizations and VA-accredited individuals that are authorized to assist in the preparation, presentation, and prosecution of VA benefit claims at https://www.va.gov/ogc/apps/accreditation/index.asp.

In Illinois, veterans have several options to find a veteran service officer. The Grundy County VAC has two accredited service officers. You can find a county VSO at https://www.veteransbenefitsillinois.org/ or https://www.nacvso.org/county-veterans-service-officers.

3. What to keep in mind: All claim work done by county, state, and service organization representatives is free of charge. Attorneys and claims agents can charge a fee for their services. If a veteran chooses an attorney or a claims agent, they need to be aware of the fee structure.

Grundy County Veterans Assistance Commission : 1320 Union Street : Morris, IL 60450 :

815.941.3152 : https://www.grundycountyil.gov/veterans-assistance/