South Dakota / State / 2025 Session

Ch. 133, L. 2025 (House Bill 1238) Regulated paid assistance with veterans benefit claims

Catalog reconciledEnactedProgram created

Signed 2025-03-31

Created 33A-2-37 to 33A-2-42. A person taking compensation to advise, assist or consult on a veterans benefits matter must sign a written agreement disclosing terms, compensation and four specific facts including that other organisations may do the same work free of charge, may not charge an initial or nonrefundable fee, may not guarantee an outcome or a level of benefit, may not be paid for a claim filed inside the one-year presumptive period after release from active duty without a signed waiver, may not use international call centres or a veteran’s own log-in credentials, and may not take a referral fee. Compensation must be contingent on an increase in the benefit awarded and may not exceed five times the monthly increase. The attorney general may impose a civil penalty of up to five thousand dollars. Accredited agents, attorneys and representatives regulated by the federal Department of Veterans Affairs are outside the chapter.