This is the category with the widest gap between what is advertised and what is legally possible. Consultants in it are not VA-accredited, which means whatever the sales call promises, they cannot represent you, cannot be your representative of record, and cannot appear for you. You file. They advise from outside — and in this category, the fee structure is the thing to read first.
The direct comparison: an accredited VSO does more than a consultant can — actual representation — and charges nothing. Before you price a consultant, price that.
Find a free VSOThe most common structure in this category quotes the fee as a multiple of the monthly increase you receive. It is worth writing the number down. A $500 monthly increase at five times is a $2,500 fee — due on a grant that VA decided, from a company that could not file for you.
For comparison, VA's fee rules for accredited representatives presume 20% of past-due benefits reasonable and 33⅓% or more unreasonable, and allow no fee at all for preparing an initial claim. Those rules do not reach unaccredited companies, which is the whole reason the structure exists in this shape.
Whether an unaccredited company may charge for claim assistance is a contested and moving area — federal law addresses who may represent claimants and charge for it, several states have enacted their own restrictions, and bills have been introduced in Congress. Check the current rule in your state, and read anything you are asked to sign in full. This is not legal advice.
| Monthly increase | Fee at 5× | Our annual price |
|---|---|---|
| $200 | $1,000 | $250 |
| $500 | $2,500 | $250 |
| $1,000 | $5,000 | $250 |
| Accredited VSO | $0 | — |
Illustrative arithmetic only — not a quote, not a prediction of any rating outcome, and not based on any particular company's fee schedule.
| Check | How to do it | What should worry you |
|---|---|---|
| Accreditation | Search the company and the individual in VA's OGC accreditation list. | "We work with accredited people" used to imply the company itself is accredited. |
| The written agreement | Ask for the full contract by email before any call. Read the fee, term, and dispute clauses. | Contract shown only on a screen-share, or signature requested on the same call. |
| How the fee is triggered | Get it in dollars, with the trigger event and the due date in writing. | A fee owed on any rating increase in a window, even one you got without them. |
| Who talks to VA | Ask directly: will anyone here contact VA on my behalf or use my VA.gov login? | Any request for your VA.gov or ID.me credentials. That is your account, and only yours. |
| Outcome language | Read the marketing back to them and ask them to confirm it in the contract. | Average-increase statistics, "we get veterans to 100%", or any guarantee of a rating. |
We publish a brand page only when every factual line on it has a primary source and a date we checked it. That is why this list is short and why it grows slowly.
Each review works the fee out in dollars from the company's own agreement, reads the guarantee line by line, checks the accreditation roster, and records the public record with dates.
More reviews publish as each fact sheet clears review. We would rather have three complete pages than fifteen half-empty ones.
These apply to us too. If a company will not answer any one of them in writing, that is your answer.
No. Representation before VA requires accreditation as an attorney, claims agent, or recognized VSO representative. An unaccredited consultant can advise you; you remain the person filing, and no one is on record as your representative unless you appoint someone who is accredited.
It is a percentage of your benefits, written another way. A $500 monthly increase becomes a $2,500 fee. Write your own number down before the call, and compare it to $0 for an accredited VSO.
It is contested and it is moving. Federal law governs who may represent claimants and charge fees for representation; several states have passed their own restrictions on paid unaccredited claim assistance, and federal bills have been introduced. What that means practically: check your state's current rule, and never treat a company's own confidence about its legality as an answer. We are not lawyers and this is not legal advice.
An accredited VSO representative, at no cost — and they can do the one thing a consultant cannot, which is represent you. If you want software for the reading and drafting on top of that, ours is $25/mo or $250/yr, and it is not a substitute for a rep either.
A published price, no percentage of anything, cancel whenever. The numbers are on the pricing page. And a VSO is still free.