As a Black woman veteran, I have learned that when lawmakers talk about “protecting veterans,” they are often talking about someone else.
Too often, policy in Sacramento assumes that all veterans experience the Department of Veterans Affairs the same way. We do not. Black veterans, especially Black women, navigate a system marked by unequal outcomes, limited access, and a lack of accountability. Senate Bill 694 is a clear example of that disconnect.
Supporters argue SB 694 protects veterans from fraud by restricting who may assist with VA disability claims. No one disputes the need to protect veterans from bad actors. But this bill goes further, effectively criminalizing many of the informal and community-based support systems that marginalized veterans rely on to survive a complex, backlogged system…