Last night, U.S. Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) helped pass the bipartisan Preventing Crimes Against Veterans Act, which establishes fines or prison sentences of up to five years for people who engage in schemes to defraud veterans who are seeking to recover veterans benefits. Currently, there is no penalty for individuals who are not properly trained or certified to be paid for helping veterans pursue their claims.

Last year, Congressman Peters introduced the Constituent Services Disclosure Act, which requires congressional offices to publicize free services they offer to help constituents with veterans’ benefits, passports, Social Security, and other federal programs. It also compels for-profit veterans’ benefits companies to disclose that similar services can be provided by their congressional representatives free of charge.

“Creating real penalties will help crack down on criminals who are trying to defraud our veterans out of their benefits,” Rep. Peters said. “While this is an important step forward, there is more to be done to ensure that our veterans and their families get the benefits they have earned through their service. By requiring every Congressmember to publicize the services they offer for their constituents, we can help more veterans get the benefits they deserve without needing to pay or be at risk of being defrauded.”

Rep. Peters concluded, “It doesn’t always take an act of Congress to help the San Diego veterans community, and I encourage veterans who need assistance filing a claim or getting the care they have earned to contact my San Diego office.”

Since coming to Congress in 2013, Congressman Peters’ office has helped hundreds of San Diego veterans recover over $1.2 million of earned benefits.