GUARD VA Benefits Act
Latest action · Mar 18, 2026 Committee Hearings Held
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedFeb 27, 2025
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Governing Unaccredited Representatives Defrauding VA Benefits Act or the GUARD VA Benefits Act
This bill imposes fines on individuals for soliciting, contracting for, charging, or receiving any unauthorized fee or compensation with respect to the preparation, presentation, or prosecution of any claim for Department of Veterans Affairs benefits. The attempted commission of such offenses is also punishable by fine.
Cosponsors 137
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Feb 27, 2025 to Sep 10, 2026; 53 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-OR | Andrea Salinas | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-MS | Bennie G. Thompson | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-IL | Bradley Scott Schneider | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| R-PA | Brian K. Fitzpatrick | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-ME | Chellie Pingree | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-PA | Christopher R. Deluzio | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| R-NY | Claudia Tenney | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| R-AL | Dale W. Strong | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| R-WA | Dan Newhouse | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| R-TN | David Kustoff | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-NC | Deborah K. Ross | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-IL | Delia C. Ramirez | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-CO | Diana DeGette | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-NV | Dina Titus | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| R-NE | Don Bacon | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-NC | Donald G. Davis | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-MO | Emanuel Cleaver | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-OH | Emilia Strong Sykes | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-IL | Eric Sorensen | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-RI | Gabe Amo | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-VA | Gerald E. Connolly | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-TX | Greg Casar | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-AZ | Greg Stanton | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-MI | Haley M. Stevens | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-MN | Ilhan Omar | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-CT | Jahana Hayes | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-MA | Jake Auchincloss | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-IL | Janice D. Schakowsky | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-ME | Jared F. Golden | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-NJ | Jefferson Van Drew | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-VA | Jennifer L. McClellan | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-HI | Jill N. Tokuda | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-NJ | Josh Gottheimer | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-WA | Marilyn Strickland | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-PA | Mary Gay Scanlon | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-CA | Mike Levin | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-IL | Mike Quigley | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-NJ | Mikie Sherrill | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-KY | Morgan McGarvey | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-IL | Raja Krishnamoorthi | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-AZ | Raúl M. Grijalva | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-CA | Robert Garcia | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-IL | Robin L. Kelly | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-CA | Scott H. Peters | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-RI | Seth Magaziner | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-MA | Seth Moulton | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-FL | Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-TN | Steve Cohen | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-WA | Suzan K. DelBene | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-LA | Troy A. Carter | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-OR | Val T. Hoyle | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-MA | William R. Keating | Original | Feb 27, 2025 |
| D-MD | April McClain Delaney | Mar 14, 2025 | |
| D-IN | Frank J. Mrvan | Mar 14, 2025 | |
| D-OH | Greg Landsman | Mar 14, 2025 | |
| D-CO | Joe Neguse | Mar 14, 2025 | |
| D-MN | Kelly Morrison | Mar 14, 2025 | |
| D-CA | Laura Friedman | Mar 14, 2025 | |
| D-WI | Mark Pocan | Mar 14, 2025 | |
| D-IL | Nikki Budzinski | Mar 14, 2025 | |
| D-MI | Rashida Tlaib | Mar 14, 2025 | |
| D-CA | Raul Ruiz | Mar 14, 2025 | |
| D-MI | Shri Thanedar | Mar 14, 2025 | |
| D-CO | Brittany Pettersen | Mar 25, 2025 | |
| D-CA | Eric Swalwell | Mar 25, 2025 | |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | Mar 25, 2025 | |
| D-CT | John B. Larson | Mar 25, 2025 | |
| D-TX | Lizzie Fletcher | Mar 25, 2025 | |
| D-OR | Maxine Dexter | Mar 25, 2025 | |
| D-NM | Melanie A. Stansbury | Mar 25, 2025 | |
| R-NY | Michael Lawler | Mar 25, 2025 | |
| D-WA | Rick Larsen | Mar 25, 2025 | |
| D-DE | Sarah McBride | Mar 25, 2025 | |
| D-MN | Angie Craig | Apr 17, 2025 | |
| R-TN | Charles J. "Chuck" Fleischmann | Apr 17, 2025 | |
| D-HI | Ed Case | Apr 17, 2025 | |
| D-NY | Grace Meng | Apr 17, 2025 | |
| D-NJ | Herbert C. Conaway, Jr. | Apr 17, 2025 | |
| D-OR | Janelle S. Bynum | Apr 17, 2025 | |
| D-TX | Joaquin Castro | Apr 17, 2025 | |
| D-NH | Maggie Goodlander | Apr 17, 2025 | |
| R-ID | Russ Fulcher | Apr 17, 2025 | |
| D-MA | Stephen F. Lynch | Apr 17, 2025 | |
| D-NV | Steven Horsford | Apr 17, 2025 | |
| R-UT | Burgess Owens | May 20, 2025 | |
| D-CA | Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. | May 20, 2025 | |
| R-KY | Harold Rogers | May 20, 2025 | |
| D-CT | Joe Courtney | May 20, 2025 | |
| D-OH | Marcy Kaptur | May 20, 2025 | |
| D-NM | Teresa Leger Fernandez | May 20, 2025 | |
| D-MO | Wesley Bell | May 20, 2025 | |
| D-VA | Suhas Subramanyam | Jul 2, 2025 | |
| D-WA | Kim Schrier | Aug 5, 2025 | |
| D-CA | Brad Sherman | Aug 26, 2025 | |
| D-CO | Jason Crow | Aug 26, 2025 | |
| D-WA | Marie Gluesenkamp Perez | Sep 17, 2025 | |
| D-NJ | Robert Menendez | Sep 17, 2025 | |
| D-VA | James R. Walkinshaw | Sep 26, 2025 | |
| D-NY | Daniel S. Goldman | Oct 28, 2025 | |
| D-MI | Debbie Dingell | Oct 28, 2025 | |
| D-CA | Sara Jacobs | Oct 28, 2025 | |
| D-IN | André Carson | Nov 7, 2025 | |
| D-MD | Johnny Olszewski, Jr. | Nov 7, 2025 | |
| D-PR | Pablo José Hernández | Nov 7, 2025 | |
| D-WA | Pramila Jayapal | Nov 7, 2025 | |
| D-AL | Shomari Figures | Nov 7, 2025 | |
| D-AZ | Adelita S. Grijalva | Dec 11, 2025 | |
| R-NJ | Thomas H. Kean, Jr. | Dec 11, 2025 | |
| D-CA | Dave Min | Jan 7, 2026 | |
| D-CA | Judy Chu | Jan 7, 2026 | |
| D-VA | Eugene Simon Vindman | Jan 21, 2026 | |
| D-NM | Gabe Vasquez | Jan 21, 2026 | |
| D-MI | Hillary J. Scholten | Feb 20, 2026 | |
| D-IL | Lauren Underwood | Feb 20, 2026 | |
| D-CA | Mark DeSaulnier | Feb 20, 2026 | |
| R-MN | Pete Stauber | Feb 20, 2026 | |
| D-CA | Jim Costa | Mar 5, 2026 | |
| D-CA | Nanette Diaz Barragán | Mar 5, 2026 | |
| D-CA | Salud O. Carbajal | Mar 16, 2026 | |
| D-NY | Timothy M. Kennedy | Mar 16, 2026 | |
| D-CA | Doris O. Matsui | Apr 6, 2026 | |
| D-NY | John W. Mannion | Apr 6, 2026 | |
| D-CA | Zoe Lofgren | Apr 6, 2026 | |
| R-WI | Glenn Grothman | Apr 16, 2026 | |
| D-CT | Rosa L. DeLauro | Apr 16, 2026 | |
| R-FL | Cory Mills | Apr 20, 2026 | |
| D-CA | Lateefah Simon | Apr 20, 2026 | |
| D-CA | Sam T. Liccardo | Apr 27, 2026 | |
| D-WA | Emily Randall | Apr 29, 2026 | |
| D-NJ | Frank Pallone, Jr. | May 19, 2026 | |
| D-MD | Kweisi Mfume | May 19, 2026 | |
| D-KS | Sharice Davids | May 19, 2026 | |
| D-NY | Josh Riley | May 20, 2026 | |
| D-CA | George Whitesides | Jun 29, 2026 | |
| D-IL | Sean Casten | Aug 20, 2026 | |
| D-NJ | Analilia Mejia | Sep 10, 2026 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Referred Feb 27, 2025Hearings Mar 18, 2026 |
| Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee | Referred Mar 27, 2025Discharged Mar 18, 2026 | |
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Feb 27, 2025 |
Actions 5
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Mar 18, 2026Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Discharged
- Mar 18, 2026Committee Hearings Held
- Mar 27, 2025Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
- Feb 27, 2025Introduced in House
- Feb 27, 2025Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 171, no. 39, February 27, 2025, page H920.
Printed hearings 2
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 119-58 | LEGISLATIVE HEARING192 pages | Veterans' Affairs Committee | May 20, 2026 |
| Serial No. 119-8 | LEGISLATIVE HEARING113 pages | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Mar 5, 2025 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend title 38, United States Code, to reinstate penalties for persons charging veterans unauthorized fees relating to claims for benefits under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- GUARD VA Benefits Act
- Governing Unaccredited Representatives Defrauding VA Benefits Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Feb 27, 2025Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
