mike@mikesploit:~$ cat posts/Thank a Veteran. Then Stop Charging Them for Free Paperwork.

Mike Wright · 2026-11-11

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Every November we buy a poppy, stand for two minutes, and post a photo of Grandpa in uniform. Good. Do that.

Then think about the veteran who comes home with a bad back, bad knees and a head full of things they don't talk about, and finds out the government compensation process involves forms. Lots of forms. Medical forms. Forms about the forms.

Now picture someone showing up and saying: "Don't worry, we'll handle all that. We just take a small piece of what you get."

That's the business model. And it's charging for something that's already free.

## What's free (all of it)

Here is the whole list of what it costs to apply for a disability benefit from Veterans Affairs Canada:

1. Nothing.

That's it. That's the list.

Here's who'll help you do it, also for nothing:

• VAC itself. Call 1-866-522-2122, send a secure message from My VAC Account, or book an in-person appointment. The disability benefits page also points you to Transition Centre and Service Canada staff.
• Royal Canadian Legion service officers. Trained officers who handle VAC claims and appeals all the way up to the Veterans Review and Appeal Board, and and you don't have to be a member. Serving CAF, veterans, RCMP and families. 1-877-534-4666.
• The War Amps. VAC's own page names them alongside the Legion and says, word for word, "Their assistance is free of charge."
• Got turned down? The Bureau of Pensions Advocates is a team of actual lawyers inside VAC who handle reviews and appeals. Their own page puts it as "Unlike a private lawyer, our services are free-of-charge." No application form. You phone them: 1-877-228-2250.

So that's free government help, free veteran-organization help, and free lawyers if it goes sideways. Hard to compete with free. Unless you're very good at marketing.

## Meanwhile, in the States

The US has the mature version of this industry, so it makes a nice preview.

KFF Health News reported in 2023 on private "claim consultants" that bill veterans five times the monthly increase in their disability compensation. One veteran got a 10% rating worth $165.92 a month and was billed $829.60. When his rating went up to 40%, they wanted another $2,829.70. The US VA's own data in that story found no statistically significant difference in processing time whether a veteran filed alone or got help.

So, five months of a disabled veteran's compensation, for a result they'd have got on the same timeline anyway. Thank you for your service. Please remit.

## The Canadian version (so far)

Here's the good news. I went looking for this aimed at VAC claims and came back with very little I could actually corroborate in Canada.

Let's keep it that way.

Because it's not that nobody's thought of it. It's a whole industry in the States, and it's already running on every related program up here:

• Disability Tax Credit. Parliament passed a whole law in 2014 because consultants were taking contingency fees of 30% or more of people's DTC refunds. The fix was a $100 cap. A BC court enjoined it in 2021 and the CRA's own page still says the regulations are suspended until further notice. So, no cap.
• Canada Disability Benefit. In 2025 CARP warned about a member who thought they were applying on a government site, gave their details to a for-profit company, and ended up with a "contract" for a large percentage of their future payments. CARP's verdict: technically not illegal, "deeply unethical."

A disability program, a percentage-of-benefit contract, and a site that looks government-ish enough. Veterans' benefits tick every box on that list.

I track threats for a living. This one is overdue. The playbook is proven south of the border, the copycats are already working the programs next door, and veterans are a sympathetic, paperwork-heavy, cheque-receiving audience. When it shows up, it won't be hard to set up.

The best defence is boring: every veteran knowing the free route before someone sells them the paid one. So:

## If someone wants a cut

Before a veteran in your life signs anything with anyone, have them ask:

1. "Is this cheaper than free?" It isn't. Call the Legion first.
2. "What exactly do you do that VAC and the Legion don't?" Get it in writing.
3. "What's the fee, in dollars, if I win?" A percentage of an award you haven't seen yet is a blank cheque.
4. "How do I cancel?" CARP flagged companies that just ignore the cancellation request.
5. "Is this a .gc.ca site?" If you're applying, you want My VAC Account, not a lookalike.

And if a company is already in the picture, the BPA lawyers and the Legion officers will still talk to you. Free, remember.

## The Trust Report version

Trust Report Canada wrote up the free route as a plain checklist, with no snark, if you'd rather send that to your uncle than this.

Wear the poppy. Then forward this to a veteran. Cheapest thank-you there is.

- mikesploit, two minutes of silence, then several minutes of very loud opinions