http://www.military.com/MilitaryReport/0,12914,96319,00.html
Bill Introduced to Lift Ban on Lawyers for Veterans
A bill which would allow veterans to hire lawyers to represent them in their efforts to obtain federal benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has been introduced by U.S. Senators Larry Craig (R-Idaho) and Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina). Under current law, all 24 million living veterans are prohibited from hiring a lawyer to help them navigate the Veterans Affairs system. It is only after a veteran has spent months and even years exhausting the extensive VA administrative process that the veteran then may retain counsel - a process that often takes 3 or more years to complete. Under the current appeals system, about 85 percent of veterans choose to be represented by Veterans' Service Organizations or state veterans agency personnel.