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Written by VMHA Editorial Team | Medically Reviewed by VMHA Internal Quality Assurance Team (Licensed PhD/PsyD Psychologists)
Choosing flat-fee medical evaluations over percentage claim sharks protects your disability benefits from predatory fees. A flat-fee medical evaluation is a transparent, one-time payment for independent medical evidence, such as a psychological exam or medical nexus letter, with zero percent taken from your backpay or future monthly checks. Percentage claim sharks are unaccredited claims coaches, unaccredited advisors, and consultants who charge a success fee or monthly retainer, often demanding five to six times the monthly increase of your VA disability compensation or twenty percent to thirty-three percent of your past-due benefits.
For military veterans, understanding this difference is critical. Unaccredited claim sharks take advantage of veterans who feel stuck or frustrated by rushed Compensation and Pension exams (C&P exams). These unaccredited claims coaches advertise heavily on social media, promising a guarantee of a successful disability claim or guaranteeing outcomes, which is illegal under federal law.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, over 5.3 million veterans receive service-connected disability compensation, but thousands face financial exploitation by unauthorized advisors yearly. At VMHA, we stand against predatory percentage fees. As a trusted partner to Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs), VMHA provides transparent, flat upfront fee evaluations backed by an internal team of providers with zero backpay taken from your benefits. You can explore our services on our VMHA services page or see if you qualify using our free mental health quiz.
The distinction between flat-fee evaluations and percentage claim sharks centers on pricing, provider credentials, and legal compliance.
A flat-fee service charges a fixed amount upfront for clinical documentation, like a psychological independent medical examination or medical nexus letter. You pay one predictable price for evidence review, clinical interview, and report writing. You owe nothing more once delivered.
In contrast, percentage claim sharks use a contingency fee model, forcing a written fee agreement that surrenders your past-due benefits or monthly checks. Many unaccredited claims coaches demand six times the monthly increase or up to thirty-three percent of your lump-sum backpay. If your rating increases from thirty percent to seventy percent, a claim shark could demand several thousand dollars for filling out basic forms on VA.gov.
| Feature | Flat-Fee Medical Evaluations (VMHA) | Percentage Claim Sharks |
|---|
| Pricing Structure | Single fixed amount with no hidden costs | 20% to 33% of backpay or 5-6x monthly increase |
| Backpay Taken | 0% backpay of benefits | Takes thousands from past-due benefits |
| Medical Credentials | In-house, licensed doctoral psychologists | Unlicensed coaches or generic networks |
| Legal Status | Ethical medical evaluations; compliant | Often unaccredited; faces legal actions |
| Guarantees | No fake outcome guarantees; honest evaluations | Frequently offers illegal guarantee of success |
| Quality Control | QA software built in with internal review and clinical supervision | No formal medical QA or clinical supervision |
Unaccredited advisors and percentage claim sharks face intense legal scrutiny. Federal law under 38 USC § 5901, 38 USC § 5902, 38 USC § 5904, and 38 USC § 5905 regulates who can assist veterans with a disability claim. Furthermore, 38 CFR § 14.629, 38 CFR § 14.632, and 38 CFR § 14.636 establish strict rules regarding VA accreditation, Power of Attorney representation, and reasonable fees.
Under 38 CFR § 14.636, only VA-accredited attorneys, accredited claims agents, and recognized VSO representatives (like the VFW, DAV, American Legion, or Texas Veterans Commission) may assist with VA claims. Unaccredited claims coaches, such as VA Claims Insider, Oakridge Claims, VetClaims.ai, and Claim Raven, bypass VA accreditation to avoid fee caps and federal oversight.
State authorities are taking aggressive action against these unaccredited organizations:
If you’re working with a claim coach operating without VA accreditation, you also need to ensure that your sensitive personal or medical data and confidential information are not at risk.
Percentage claim sharks target veterans through aggressive online marketing. They prey on veterans struggling with PTSD, anxiety, depression, military sexual trauma (MST), or secondary conditions who feel let down by the VA claims process.
Common tactics used by unaccredited claims coaches include:
This positioning is misleading. Federal law states that assisting with claim preparation or evidence review for a fee without accreditation is an illegal fee structure.
Choosing a flat-fee evaluation protects your financial future and guarantees your benefits remain yours. Working with a trustworthy medical partner provides legitimate clinical evidence that withstands VA scrutiny.
At VMHA, we believe in absolute transparency and ethical advocacy. Unlike percentage claim sharks or unmonitored referral networks, VMHA operates an internal team of providers consisting exclusively of licensed, doctoral-level psychologists.
Advantages of VMHA’s flat-fee medical evaluations include:
Honest evaluations lead to a higher acceptance rate by the VA. VMHA maintains a ninety-five percent success rate, and the VA continues to provide positive feedback about our reports and their quality. This makes VMHA a trustworthy partner to VSOs, VA-accredited attorneys, and accredited claims agents.
Federal regulations protect veterans from unconscionable fee structures. Under 38 CFR § 14.636(f), fees charged by accredited attorneys or claims agents must be necessary and reasonable.
The regulation states: “Fees which are contingent upon the successful outcome of a claim may be charged only in appeals or Supplemental Claims, and fees higher than twenty percent are presumed unreasonable by the VA.”
Furthermore, federal law prohibits charging a fee for assisting with an initial claim or original claim. Percentage claim sharks routinely violate these rules by taking twenty to thirty-three percent of an initial claim or demanding six times the monthly increase for Supplemental Claims and Higher-Level Reviews.
VMHA does not offer legal representation or charge claim preparation fees. VMHA provides independent medical evidence through a flat-fee evaluation. Your medical records, clinical interview, progress notes, and diagnostic testing remain your private property to submit with your claim.
Protecting yourself from predatory companies requires asking the right questions before signing any agreement.
When evaluating a service, check these key indicators:
If a company hesitates to provide provider credentials or demands access to your VA.gov login details, walk away immediately.
Only VA-accredited attorneys and accredited claims agents can charge a contingency fee on past-due benefits, and only on appeals, Supplemental Claims, or Higher-Level Reviews. Unaccredited claim coaches and consultants who take a percentage of your backpay or six times the monthly increase operate outside federal accreditation rules under 38 USC § 5901.
Yes. Working with a recognized Veterans Service Organization (VSO), such as a VSO representative from the DAV, VFW, American Legion, or Texas Veterans Commission, is completely free. You can use a free VSO representative for claim filing and pair their services with a flat-fee independent medical evaluation from VMHA to strengthen your medical evidence.
If your claim receives a denial, you still own your comprehensive medical evidence, medical nexus letter, and psychological IME report. You can use this evidence to file a Supplemental Claim or Higher-Level Review with your VSO representative or accredited attorney without owing additional fees or giving up backpay.
If you live in Texas near San Antonia, or Fort Worth, email us at info@vmhaforvets.com or call us 214-307-2198. VMHA serves veterans in Texas and nationwide through secure, HIPAA-compliant telehealth evaluations. You can learn more on our About Us page or read our IMO FAQ page.
You deserve an ethical, trustworthy medical partner for your mental health rating. Percentage claim sharks view veterans as a percentage payout, demanding thousands of dollars from the benefits you earned through your military service.
VMHA puts veterans first. With an internal team of licensed doctoral psychologists, extensive training and supervision, QA software built in to minimize error, and a flat fee model with zero backpay taken, VMHA provides clinical evidence with absolute transparency.
Protect your hard-earned benefits from unaccredited claim sharks. Take our free mental health quiz today to see how VMHA’s ethical, flat-fee evaluations can support your VA disability claim.
Dwayne Edwards is a United States Marine Corps Veteran and Founder of VMHA. He served in the infantry and intelligence, deployed to Iraq, and served as the suicide awareness officer for his last command. He holds a BA from Binghamton University and an MBA from Yale School of Management. After experiencing the difference a high-quality psychologist can make for his own mental health journey, he founded VMHA to provide high-quality, ethical, and transparent mental health evaluations to fellow service members and veterans.
Drawing on his executive background, Dwayne established VMHA to increase the quality of life and mental health of the military community.
At VMHA, we hold our educational content to the same high standards as our clinical assessments. This article has been reviewed and fact-checked by our Internal Quality Assurance Team, led by licensed, doctoral-level psychologists (Ph.D. / Psy.D.) to ensure it adheres to our editorial and clinical standards.
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