BEND, OR -- Deschutes County Veterans Services says local vets are being targeted by what the agency calls Pension Poachers. "Basically, they’re organizations that reach out to mainly aging veterans that need care, and charge for their services," says Veterans Services Officer Keith Macnamara, "They’re not allowed to charge to actually file directly to the VA because that’s illegal. What they do is they charge 'administrative fees'."
He says the companies are legal, "Most of the time, some of the companies that do this have reached out to facilities and put their information out there that if somebody needs help to contact them, they can guide them through. Most of these companies are out of state; it’s all done either snail mail or telephone."
Macnamara tells KBND News, "We’ll get veterans who come in and say ‘this company wanted to charge me $800. Can you guys help us?’ I say absolutely. You know, don’t pay it. First things out of our mouths are ‘don’t pay it.’ We can do all that for free."
Some of the benefits available to veterans include compensation, pension, healthcare, education, home loan assistance and support for those who are unhoused. Benefits for eligible family members of veterans who have passed or are disabled may also be available.
To reach the Deschutes County Veterans’ Services team, call (541) 585-VETS, or email vets@deschutes.org. Walk-in visitors are also welcome in Bend between 8:00 am and 3:30 pm Monday through Friday at 1130 NW Harriman Street (closed noon to 1:00 pm for lunch). Suspicious calls about benefits can be reported to the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) at (800) 488-8244 or with the Federal Trade Commission at consumercomplains.fcc.gov.
