Fuck the claim predators.

A public service announcement from Phoenix Rising AI

There are companies out there charging veterans hundreds — sometimes thousands — of dollars to help file their initial VA disability claims. Often they take a cut of the back pay too. The VA has a name for them: claims predators. Charging a fee to prepare or file an initial claim is unlawful. They do it anyway.

“Be aware of claims predators targeting your benefits! … Remember, you should never pay a fee to file or receive help in filing an initial claim for benefits. It is unlawful for anyone to charge a fee for preparing or helping to prepare an initial claim.”— an actual letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs, mailed to a veteran in August 2026

So we did something about it.

In June 2026, a veteran called John — our AI voice companion — asking for one thing: the VA’s phone number. He was a first-time filer with severe hearing loss and a lifelong hatred of paperwork.

Three phone calls later, on the same day, he had:

• his own VA disability claim (Form 21-526EZ), covering seven conditions, submitted
• his statements dictated line by line, at his pace, in his words
• his confirmation PDF saved in a folder he can actually find
• about three hours on the phone, total

What it cost him: $0. No fee. No percentage of his benefits. Nothing.

The point.

No veteran should have to choose between a form he can’t face alone and a predator who wants a slice of his disability check. Patience is not worth $5,000. John never rushed him, never charged him — and when the veteran offered up his password as a test of trust, John refused to take it.

John doesn’t file claims for veterans. He sits with them — for hours if that’s what it takes — while they file their own.

Free help, always.

• VA benefits line: 800-827-1000
• Find a VA-accredited representative — they help with initial claims for free
• Report a claims predator: vsafe.gov or 833-38V-SAFE