I'm an Army veteran. Florida’s u-turn on our benefits is common sense.

By Joseph Meyer

Read it in The Palm Beach Post

It’s a major issue in Florida, a state with over 1.4 million veterans which likely includes hundreds of thousands receiving and/or seeking federal disability benefits.

As a former Army major from Palm Beach, it’s a relief to see the Florida Legislature make a u-turn from last year on a controversial policy over who is authorized to assist veterans file claims for benefits with the federal government.

When I learned early last year that Tallahassee lawmakers were drafting a law to make it even more difficult for veterans to process their claims, my view was that states should just stay out of federal issues. While I still generally feel that way, it’s a relief to know that at least this time around Florida is taking steps to make it easier for veterans to obtain their benefits, not harder.

By way of background, there has been a major battle in the U.S. Congress, especially over the past six years, over who can help veterans in the claims process. A series of battling bills haven’t gone anywhere leading to gridlock. That’s why many states find themselves in the middle of this controversy as well, since the fight rolls downhill.

In a compromise effort to ensure veterans have more options available to them on seeking assistance with a Byzantine process in Washington, while also protecting them from potential scammers, both the Florida Senate and House of Representatives have similar bills entitled “Veterans’ Benefits Assistance” working through the system to do just that.

Though nationwide it hasn’t typically been a Democrat vs. Republican issue, one side has fought to restrict options in an effort to stop bad actors from taking advantage of veterans, while the other side wants to give veterans more options to successfully pursue their claims.

Both sides make valid points.

Early last year, "Red state" Florida was following in the footsteps of "Blue state" New Jersey which passed a draconian law in 2023 to criminalize anyone from helping veterans with claims unless they were accredited by the Veterans Administration (VA).

While that tough approach might make sense on paper, the reality is accreditation isn’t easy to come by. In fact it’s practically closed apart from Veteran Services Organizations (VSO) like the VFW and American Legion, in addition to well-connected Washington, D.C.-area law firms. This flawed arrangement helps those entities with cash flow but not so much the veterans they serve.

I was surprised that Florida was right behind a deep blue state on what seemed to be a clear attack on the small business community — lumping in many people performing a valuable service for veterans with hucksters.

While last year’s bill was fortunately withdrawn in Tallahassee, this year both the Florida House and Senate parallel bills tighten up the requirements and increase the formality on who can help veterans with claims. They also restrict certain fees that third-party actors can charge the veterans whom they assist.

These compromise steps should help eliminate possible scammers while at the same time giving veterans a larger pool of qualified people available to help them. A common sense solution.

It’s a major issue in Florida, a state with over 1.4 million veterans which likely includes hundreds of thousands receiving and/or seeking federal disability benefits.

Moreover, according to the VA there are roughly 250,000 backlogged claims nationwide, a number likely to grow as job cuts are made across the federal government.

Statistically speaking, it would appear that tens of thousands of backlogged claims are right here in Florida, languishing in the bureaucracy as veterans bide their time waiting for relief.

Veterans in Florida need more help with claims these days, not less.

While it’s our right to criticize state elected officials when we believe they get it wrong like I did last year, we should also say a word of thanks when they get it right like I’m doing now. Thank you, Tallahassee.

Joseph Meyer, founder of Meyer capital Group in Palm, is a former major in the U.S. Army. He wrote this for The Palm Beach Post.