There is broad agreement that it’s too difficult for veterans to get the disability benefits they earned and need. After valiantly serving, our nation’s heroes are forced to navigate a complex, bureaucratic and adversarial claims process at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where they are frequently denied benefits or receive lower disability ratings than deserved. That makes it particularly hard to understand why state lawmakers are considering legislation that would make it even more difficult for Nevada veterans to get help in navigating this process.
Assemblymen Reuben D’Silva, D-North Las Vegas, and Ken Gray, R-Dayton, have introduced Assembly Bill 145 with the well-intended goal of protecting veterans from unscrupulous private companies seeking to take advantage of those who apply for their benefits. Unfortunately, AB145, which was debated in a recent Assembly committee hearing at which I testified, is drafted far too broadly and would make it illegal for veterans to get advice or assistance from any private companies, including ethical services that are working hard to help veterans. It is a classic example of throwing the baby out with the bath water.
I can attest to the value provided by some of these private services based on my personal experience. After serving in the Air Force for eight years, including a deployment in the Gulf War, I left the military suffering from PTSD, breathing issues and other service-related conditions. I first tried working with a free Veteran Service Organization to apply for benefits. Despite having all of my medical records in hand, I received a 0 percent disability rating from the VA. Years later I would try again, but was told by my VSO representative that I should “go online and figure it out” for myself.
Finally, almost three decades after leaving the military, I reached out to a private service for help. They carefully examined my case, helped me reassemble my claim and, within months, I received an accurate rating from the VA and the benefits I deserve. I was happy to pay a fee for that service and would do so again.
Proponents of AB145 argue that veterans shouldn’t have to pay for a service they can get for free from a VSO. But from my experience, you often get what you pay for. Many VSOs are doing great work and that avenue should remain available for veterans. But if veterans choose to hire a private company to get additional attention and guidance in filing their claim, they should be allowed to do so. As veterans, we raised up our right hand and took an oath to fight for that freedom, among many others. It is simply wrong to take away our freedom of choice now.
There is a better way to resolve this issue. Bipartisan legislation has been introduced in Washington that would establish strict guardrails to protect veterans from bad private companies and fraudsters, imposing fee caps, transparency requirements and privacy protections, while allowing good private companies, such as the one I worked with, to become accredited by the VA and continue serving veterans. In other words, it legislates against the bad behavior, instead of against a specific type of service provider.
Ideally, Congress would move forward with this common-sense legislation and put this issue to rest. In the meantime, similar legislation has been introduced in at least 27 states and has already been enacted in Louisiana. The Legislature should reject AB145 or amend it to include similar provisions that protect veterans while preserving their choice. By doing so, Nevada can send a clear message that our top priority is to ensure veterans have access to the help they need to get the disability benefits they deserve.
Leo Garcia is a U.S. Air Force veteran. He writes from Boulder City.
A recent Review-Journal letter to the editor mischaracterized Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, also known as the Clark County Lands bill. As the former executive director of the Nevada Conservation League, I wholeheartedly support this legislation, so I wanted to set the record straight.
Sen. Cortez Masto has been working on this bill for years in partnership with state and local governments, conservation groups like the NCL and local area tribes. It’s true that the Clark County lands bill would open 25,000 acres to help Las Vegas grow responsibly, while setting aside 2 million acres for conservation. It would also help create more affordable housing throughout the valley while ensuring our treasured public spaces can be preserved for generations to come.
What is not correct is that the money from these land sales would go to the federal government’s coffers. In fact, the opposite is true.
The 1998 Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act is a landmark bill that identified specific public land for future sale and created a special account ensuring all land sale revenues would come back to Nevada. In accordance with that law 5 percent of revenue from land transfers goes to the state of Nevada for general education purposes, 10 percent goes to the Southern Nevada Water Authority for needed water infrastructure and 85 percent supports conservation and environmental mitigation projects in Southern Nevada. This legislation has provided billions to Clark County and will continue to benefit generations of Southern Nevadans. Sen. Cortez Masto’s lands bill builds upon the act’s success.
So here’s the good news: All of the money generated from land made available for sale under Sen. Cortez Masto’s bill would be sent to the special account created by the 1998 law. Rather than going to an unaccountable federal government, the proceeds would continue to help kids in Vegas get a better education, bolster outdoor recreation and modernize Southern Nevada’s infrastructure.
I know how important it is that money generated from the sale of public land in Nevada stay in the hands of Nevadans, and so does the senator. That’s why she opposed a Republican effort last year to sell off 200,000 acres of land in Clark County and other areas of the country that would have sent those dollars directly to Washington.
Public land management in Nevada should benefit Nevadans. We should protect sacred cultural sites and beloved recreation spaces, responsibly transfer land for affordable housing when needed and ensure our state has the resources it needs to grow sustainably. I will continue working with Sen. Cortez Masto to advocate for legislation, such as the Clark County lands bill, that puts the needs of Nevadans first.
Paul Selberg writes from Las Vegas.
click to expand photos
Las Vegas High’s baseball team claimed a 3-2 home win over Coronado on Friday.
Las Vegas (9-13-1) next hosts Rancho at 10 a.m. Saturday. Coronado (13-14) hosts Chaparral at 3:30 p.m. Monday.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Nevada’s jobless rate is holding steady, but the state is still adding jobs.
A new report from DETR shows February’s unemployment rate unchanged at 5.3 percent, with the labor force growing by nearly 3,800 people.
MORE ON FOX5: Nevada unemployment rate rises to 5.3% in January
Nevada now has about 1.6 million nonfarm jobs, up 2.2 percent over the past year and 1,500 more jobs than in January.
“This month’s report shows a strengthening labor market,” said David Schmidt, Chief Economist. ”Compared to the report for January, the pace of job gains in the past year increased from 1.9% to 2.2%, building on what was already the fastest pace of job growth in the country. While the unemployment rate remained stable, the labor force participation rate rose to 63.7%, 1.7 percentage points higher than the national level.”
In Las Vegas, employment ticked up by 1,100 jobs in February, about 0.1 percent, and is up more than 25,000 jobs compared to last year.
Reno added 1,000 jobs on the month, while Carson City shed about 200 but is still slightly above where it was a year ago.
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