My father served 26 years in the U.S. Air Force. After he retired as a master sergeant, he spent years trying to get the disability benefits he had earned. He died before he could. I have carried that with me ever since, and I have spent years working to make sure other veterans do not face the same wall.

So when a federal judge in North Carolina issued a ruling last month that could make it a crime to pay someone to help you file a VA disability claim, I took it personally. Because it is personal.