As an active duty Marine, I know firsthand that freedom is never free. Every day, I serve alongside men and women who put everything on the line to defend our Constitution. But even while we wear the uniform, we’re reminded that the battles don’t end overseas. Sometimes, the toughest fights are here at home. And with the passage of Senate Bill 694, California just dealt veterans a heavy blow.
SB 694, authored by state Sen. Bob Archuleta, was marketed as “protection.” In reality, it’s paternalism disguised as law. With the Governor’s signature, it is now illegal for unaccredited advisors, many of them veterans themselves, to assist their brothers and sisters in navigating the maze of the VA claims system. Worse, veterans who turn to the “wrong” kind of help risk seeing their entire claims voided.
Let’s be honest: the VA disability system is broken. The forms, the deadlines, the paperwork, it’s a labyrinth that even those of us still in uniform struggle to navigate. That’s why so many veterans turn to outside help. These aren’t predators. They’re fellow service members, neighbors, and advocates stepping up to fill the gaps where institutions fail. SB 694 has now taken those lifelines away.
This isn’t just about benefits paperwork. It’s about power. Veterans are one of the most trusted voices in America. When we speak. on healthcare, jobs, or national security, policymakers listen. But SB 694 weakens that voice by severing the networks that keep veterans connected, informed, and supported.
California is home to nearly 1.6 million veterans, plus countless active duty personnel preparing for transition. Many live in rural towns or urban neighborhoods where Veterans Service Organizations are shrinking or absent altogether. Meanwhile, the VA backlog has ballooned to hundreds of thousands of pending claims. In that vacuum, independent consultants, often veterans themselves, have been the bridge. With SB 694, that bridge is being torn down.
If Sacramento truly wanted to protect veterans, it would have expanded accreditation, strengthened oversight, and funded VSOs to meet modern demand. Instead, lawmakers treated veterans like children who can’t be trusted to choose who we rely on.
The consequences are now real. Marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen will leave service and face a system more hostile and less flexible than before. Families depending on timely disability checks may find themselves waiting longer, fighting harder, or giving up altogether.
We earned our benefits. We earned our voice. SB 694 didn’t just pass, it passed at the expense of those who wore the uniform. And unless it is revisited, repealed, or reformed, its legacy will be measured in denied claims, broken trust, and silenced veterans.
The fight to protect veterans doesn’t end on the battlefield. It continues here at home, in the halls of power. And today, California chose to make that fight even harder. We don’t leave our soldiers behind on the battlefield, our lawmakers shouldn’t either.
Joe Kramer is an active duty Marine with a background in law enforcement principles, martial arts instruction, and leadership development. He is dedicated to service, discipline, and inspiring growth in others.
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