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Read. Follow. Verify.Kansas HB 2646 Prohibits Unauthorized Veterans Benefit Fees and Mandates Claims Counseling
Last action · April 10, 2026: Died in Committee
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What This Bill Proposed
Kansas HB 2646 bans charging fees for assisting with veterans benefit claims unless permitted by federal law and requires claimants to complete mandatory counseling through the Kansas Office of Veterans Services before signing benefit contracts. Violations are treated as unconscionable acts under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act.
The bill alters how third-party entities can charge fees and operate when assisting military service members, veterans, and their survivors with benefit claims, establishing consumer protection remedies and invalidating contracts that omit mandatory counseling or include forbidden credential-sharing waivers.
- House Bill 2646 was introduced in the 2025-2026 legislative session by the House Committee on Veterans and Military and died in committee. context
- State legislatures often consider consumer protection measures to prevent deceptive or high-fee practices targeted at military veterans and their families. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Currently serving service members of the uniformed services
Their veterans benefit contracts are subject to mandatory counseling requirements and prohibitions on credential-sharing waivers.
For-profit veterans benefits matter claims service providers
They are restricted from charging unpermitted fees, must ensure clients complete mandatory counseling, and face contract invalidation and consumer protection violations for non-compliance.
Kansas office of veterans services
The office is required to offer mandatory counseling to potential claimants concerning the process to claim benefits.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is required to take mandatory counseling before signing a veterans benefit contract?
What happens if a contract contains prohibited provisions like requiring access credentials?
Are all types of VA benefits subject to the mandatory counseling requirement?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died in committee.
Procedural history
3 actions- Apr 10, 2026HouseDied in Committee
- Feb 3, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced
- Feb 3, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred to House Committee on Veterans and Military
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Application of Consumer Protection Act to Benefit Contracts
The bill explicitly ties prohibited contract clauses and counseling omissions to violations of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, establishing new state-level enforcement mechanisms for veterans benefit services.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.kslegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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