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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - FLOOR VERSION
STATE OF OKLAHOMA
1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
HOUSE BILL 2836 By: Duel and Burns of the House
and
Stanley of the Senate
AS INTRODUCED
An Act relating to veterans; enacting th e
Safeguarding American Veteran Empowerment Act;
defining terms; providing guidelines for advising
veterans under this act; providing guidelines for
receiving benefits under this act; providing for
codification; providing for noncodification; and
providing an effective date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law not to be
codified in the Oklahoma Statutes reads as follows:
This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Safeguarding
American Veteran Empowerment Act (or SAVE Act) ".
SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 239 of Title 44, unless there is
created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
A. For purposes of this section:
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1. "Compensation" means any money, thing of value, or economic
benefit conferred on, or received by, any person in return for
services rendered, or to be rendered, by himself or herself or
another;
2. "Veterans' benefits matter" means preparation, presentation,
or prosecution of any claim affecting any p erson who has filed or
expressed an intent to file a claim for any benefit, program,
service, commodity, function, status, or entitlement for which
veterans, their dependents, their survivors, or any other individual
are eligible under the laws and regulat ions administered by the
United States Department of Veterans Affairs or the O klahoma
Department of Veterans Affairs ; and
3. Except as provided in paragraph 5 of subsection B of this
act, "person" means any natural person, corporation, trust,
partnership, incorporated or unincorporated association, or any
other legal entity.
B. 1. No person may receive compensation for referring any
individual to another per son to advise or assist the individual with
any veterans' benefits matter.
2. No person may receive any compensation for any services
rendered in connection with any claim fil ed within the one (1) year
presumptive period of active -duty release, unless the veteran
acknowledges by signing a waiver that they are within this period
and choosing to deny fr ee services available to them.
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3. A person seeking to receive compensation for advising,
assisting, or consulting with any individual in connection with any
veterans' benefits matter must, before rendering any services,
memorialize the specific terms unde r which the amount to be paid
will be determined in a written agreement signed by both parties.
Compensation must be purely contingent upon an increase in be nefits
awarded, and if successful, compensation must not exceed five times
the amount of the month ly increase in benefits awarded based on the
claim. No initial or nonrefundable fee may be charged by a person
advising, assisting, or consulting an individu al on a veterans'
benefits matter.
4. No person will guarantee, either directly or by implication ,
a successful outcome or that any individual is certain to receive
specific veterans' benefits or that any individual is certain to
receive a specific level, percentage, or amount of veterans '
benefits.
5. Any person advising, assisting, or consulting on veterans'
benefits matters for compensation shall provide the following
disclosure at the outset of the business relationship:
"This business is not sponsore d by, or affiliated with, the
United States Department of Veterans ' Affairs or the
Oklahoma Department of Veterans' Affairs, or any other
federally chartered veterans ' service organization. Other
organizations including , but not limited to, the Oklahoma
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Department of Veterans ' Affairs, a local veterans ' service
organization, and other federally charte red veterans'
service organizations may be able to provide you with this
service free of charge. Products or services offered by
this business are not necess arily endorsed by any of these
organizations. You may qualify for other veterans '
benefits beyond the benefits for which you are receiving
services here."
The written disclosu re shall appear in at least 12 point font in
an easily identifiable place in the person's agreement with the
individual seeking services. The individual shall sign the document
in which the written disclosure appears to represent understanding
of these provisions. The person offering services shall retain a
copy of the written discl osure while providing veterans ' benefits
services for compensation to the individual and for at le ast one (1)
year after the date on which the service relations terminate.
6. Businesses advising, assisting, or consulting on veterans '
benefits matters for a fee shall abide by the following:
a. shall not utilize international call centers or data
centers for processing veterans ' personal information ,
b. shall not use a veteran's personal log-in, username,
or password information to access that veteran 's
medical, financial, or government benefits
information, and
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c. shall ensure that any individual who ha s access to
veterans' medical or financial information undergoes a
background check prior to having access to that
information. The background check shall be conducted
by a reputable source and include identity
verification and a criminal records check.
C. 1. A violation of the provisions of this section
constitutes an unfair, false, misleading, or deceptive act or
practice in the conduct of trade or commerc e under the Oklahoma
Consumer Protection Act.
2. Civil penalties shall be in an amount ordered b y the
District Court in an action brought by the Oklahoma Attorney
General.
3. Each day a violation continues is a separate violation.
4. Nothing in this section is to be construed as applying to,
limiting, or expanding the requirements imposed on agents ,
attorneys, or other representatives accredited by the United States
Department of Veterans Affairs and regulated by that agency.
SECTION 3. This act shall become effective November 1, 2025.
COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
OVERSIGHT, dated 03/06/2025 - DO PASS, As Coauthored.