Safeguarding American Veteran Empowerment Act

If passed, this bill will tweak some parts of the Code of Georgia by adding a new set of laws to support veterans getting money or health benefits from the state.

• Code of Georgia: These are the rules or laws for the state of Georgia that say what people in Georgia can and cannot do.

These changes will be called the "Safeguarding American Veteran Empowerment Act" or "SAVE Act."

The bill includes stuff about what it can’t do, what’s not allowed, definitions, and when it starts.

If passed, laws that conflict with it will be gotten rid of.

Definitions include:

• 'Compensation' means money received for services.

• 'Veteran' means a former member of U.S. armed forces who could get benefits.

• 'Veterans benefits matter' means attempts to get benefits for veterans and their families.

This bill bans paying people for referring people for veterans' benefits matters.

The bill says:

• If a person wants to get paid for helping a veteran during their first year of benefits, they need a paper from the veteran saying they said "no" to free help.

  • The amount the person gets paid must be written in an agreement. It depends on how much extra money the veteran gets in benefits, but it can't be more than five times that extra amount per month.

• Getting paid to give advice to veterans about getting benefits is not allowed.

• Veterans trying to get benefits can't use doctors, nurses, etc. that they do business with for the medical testing part of applying for benefits.

• Absolute “yesses” that a person will get a certain amount of benefits are not allowed.

• Veterans trying to get benefits need to share they are not affiliated with Veterans Affairs, both by voice and in writing before agreeing to anything.

  • Veterans Affairs: This is a part of the government that helps people who were in the military. They provide things like healthcare, money for housing, and other support for veterans.

  • People have to keep the written version for at least a year after the agreement ends.

• Rules for groups that charge veterans money to help them get benefits are:

  • Using call centers or data centers in other countries for veterans' personal info.

    • Call centers: These are places where people answer phones to help customers. When you call a company or a service for help, the person you talk to is likely working at a call center.

    • Data centers: These are big buildings full of computers that store and process information. They help websites, apps, and businesses keep data safe and running smoothly.

  • Asking veterans for their personal login or password info.

  • Background checks are a must for workers who access veterans' health or money information.

If this bill is passed, dishonest and unfair behavior in business breaks the law.

• Each day of breaking the law is its own crime.

The changes in this bill will not affect agents or attorneys that are managed by Veterans Affairs.

The Act goes into effect when the Governor says so or automatically as law if the Governor doesn’t need to say yes.