How to Verify VA Accreditation

VA maintains a public, searchable database of every accredited attorney, claims agent and VSO representative in the country. Anyone asking you for money to help with a VA claim should appear in it. If they do not, that is the whole answer.

The steps

1. Go to va.gov/ogc/apps/accreditation.
2. Choose Attorneys, Claims Agents, and VSO Representatives. (The second search on that page is for recognised organisations rather than individuals.)
3. Select the type — Attorney, Claims Agent, or VSO Representative. If you are unsure, leave it and search by name.
4. Enter a last name and a state. You can search on one field or several — VA's guidance is that you do not need to complete all of them, and you should not type words like "AND" or "OR".
5. Read the result.

Verify us

Every claim this practice represents is handled by Blake Leitch, accredited claims agent #60720, accredited under 38 CFR §14.629 and assigned POA code KWU.

View our record in VA's accreditation database.

If that link ever changes or breaks, do not take our word for it — run the search yourself: choose Claims Agent, last name Leitch, state MO.

What accreditation is, and what it is not

It is: authorisation from VA's Office of General Counsel to prepare, present and prosecute claims before VA. It requires passing a written examination on veterans benefits law, a character and fitness review, and ongoing continuing education. It carries binding standards of conduct under 38 CFR §14.632 — truthfulness toward the claimant and toward VA, competent representation, and no fraud, deceit or misrepresentation. Accreditation can be revoked.

It is not an endorsement. VA is explicit that accreditation exists solely to provide representation services and does not imply VA endorses the representative. Any company implying it is VA-affiliated, VA-endorsed, or that VA sent them, is misrepresenting itself. We are not part of, or endorsed by, the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Other checks worth thirty seconds

• Ask for the accreditation number and search it yourself. A legitimate representative will hand it over without hesitation.
• Ask when they can start charging. The correct answer is: not until VA issues an initial decision. See fees.
• Ask how the fee is calculated. A percentage of past-due benefits is the lawful structure. A multiple of your monthly increase is not one an accredited representative operates under.
• Ask for the fee agreement in writing and confirm it will be filed with VA within 30 days, as §14.636 requires.

If you have already signed with someone unaccredited

You are not stuck, and you have not ruined your claim. Read claim sharks and unaccredited companies for what the law says about those agreements, what enforcement has been happening through 2025 and 2026, and where to report it.