Noteboom The Law Firm

Tampa Company Under Investigation For Defrauding Veterans

May 14, 2010 - A local Tampa TV station exposed a company stealing from veterans and their families. The company, Assisted Living Benefits Inc. of Belleair Bluffs, was charging families of veterans for services they were not allowed to perform or charge for.

Bob Bober owns Assisted Living Benefits. The company's services included "helping" veterans and their families by offering to file their disability paperwork on their behalf. According to Pat Snair, who was trying to help her sick father collect his benefits, Bober told her Assisted Living Benefits would have their benefits granted within a couple of months.

Families attempting to claim their owed veteran benefits face an intimidating bureaucracy in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability claims process. As a result, veterans and their families commonly rely on professional help. What's important however, is to ensure the company or attorney you retain is not only competent and well versed in VA disability claims, but actually authorized by the VA to assist veterans' with their claims, which is authorization Bober did not have.   

To date, Snair's father has not received his benefits. Snair, however, did receive a $2,000 bill from Assisted Living Benefits. According to the VA, this is highly illegal and a violation of federal law. The only time a fee can be charged to a veteran or their family for assistance in filing disability claims with the VA is when the attorney or company assists with an appeal to a previously denied VA claim.  

As a threshold issue, though, the company helping veterans must be accredited by the VA. Not only did Bober know he had to be accredited to perform these services, he openly admits he wasn't accredited but preformed the services anyway. He is also the only such company in the Tampa area the demands money upfront. Over the last 3 years the local VA office has received up to 15 complaints about Bober and Assisted Living Benefits.

This information has been turned over to the Inspector General's Office who may very well conduct their own investigation at a federal level. Before hiring any legal representation to help with your VA disability claim, it's important to research the company or attorney you hire and make sure they are legally authorized to perform these services.

At the law offices of LaVan and Neidenberg, both Kenneth LaVan and Adam Neidenberg are accredited by the VA to represent veterans applying for disability claims and never charge upfront fees or engage in unethical practices that would harm veterans or their ability to collect their disability benefits.