Veterans have paid enough.
The protection ends at separation. The interest doesn’t. ACDR Vets is the Association for Consumer Debt Relief’s ongoing commitment to the people who served and the families who served alongside them. It starts in Columbus, Ohio, this Veterans Day, and grows state by state from there.
A deep commitment to veterans.
We understand what veterans face when the uniform comes off. We give back to the organizations that stand with veterans. We bring veterans into our work. We publish the evidence. And we defend veterans’ access to regulated, accountable debt relief.
Investing in the organizations that stand with veterans
Making contributions to leading veterans organizations, unrestricted and never tied to advocacy, beginning in Columbus this Veterans Day.
Veterans in the room, and at the table
Veteran representatives keep us grounded and connected, and drive everything we do. Starting in Ohio, then state by state.
Publish the numbers
A data-driven approach to supporting veterans that includes tracking and amplifying veteran and consumer trends, including census data, consumer finance reports, and whitepapers on debt relief, credit, and the overall financial challenges veterans face.
Defend regulated debt relief for veterans
Veterans deserve access to safe, regulated debt relief. Federal rules protect all consumers by requiring clear disclosures and prohibiting fees until a debt is successfully settled and a payment is made. We fight to preserve these protections and ensure veterans have access to debt relief they can trust.
Veterans have paid enough. In sixty seconds.
The case in one minute: the protection that ends at separation, what minimum payments really cost, and what ACDR Vets is committing to.
The protection ends when the uniform comes off. ACDR is changing that.
While you serve, the Military Lending Act caps the interest on most of your loans at 36 percent. The day you separate, that cap is gone. The interest keeps running.
The Military Lending Act (10 U.S.C. § 987) protects people on active duty and their dependents. It does not follow anyone out of service. Veterans face high-interest lenders and creditors alone, often with debt they took on while serving and a transition that costs more than anyone warned them.
Honest limits. No one debt solution is right for every consumer, or every veteran. But for those facing severe financial challenges, debt relief can help by negotiating with creditors to resolve unsecured debt, such as credit cards and personal loans, for less than the principal balance owed. On average, debt relief reduces the amount consumers owe by 30%, net of fees (EY, Debt Settlement Program Outcomes 2016–2025).
Compared to the general population, veterans are:
What debt really costs veterans.
Pick an amount and an interest rate. The calculator assumes only the minimum is paid each month, the way most card agreements are written, and shows where every dollar goes.
Source: the standard issuer minimum-payment formula, as set out in Financial Services Innovation Coalition, “Consumer Financial Health Crisis” (July 2026). Examples, not a prediction for any one person.
A Veterans Day Reception with Matthew Modine.
Meet the iconic actor and veterans advocate Matthew Modine in the Full Metal Jacket Diary gallery at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum, following the museum’s Veterans Day Ceremony.
- When
- Wednesday, November 11, 2026Reception 12:30 to 2:00 pm · The museum’s Veterans Day National Ceremony at 11:00 am, open to all and livestreamed. Free ceremony registration
- Where
- National Veterans Memorial and Museum300 West Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215
- Remarks
- Jason Mulvihill, President and CEO, Association for Consumer Debt ReliefMatthew Modine, actor, photographer and author of Full Metal Jacket Diary
Light fare and drinks. Veterans, families and guests welcome. ACDR sponsors this reception and Matthew Modine’s appearance.
RSVP for Columbus
Please reply by Wednesday, November 4.
Your details are used only for this event. ACDR Vets is a program of the Association for Consumer Debt Relief.
Ohio is where ACDR Vets begins.
Six hundred thousand veterans and a state legislature returning in November. Ohio is the first state; others follow.
ACDR supports House Bill 534 and Senate Bill 256, which would bring regulated, accountable debt relief to Ohio: no fees until a debt is settled, consumers in control of their own money, and clear disclosures before anyone signs. We will be in Columbus for Veterans Day, and in the Statehouse the day before.
Who we are.
ACDR Vets is the Association for Consumer Debt Relief’s ongoing commitment to veterans and their families.
It supports organizations that serve veterans, brings veterans into ACDR’s work, publishes the evidence on veteran debt, and defends access to regulated debt relief, with no fees until a debt is settled and consumers in control of their own money.
The Association for Consumer Debt Relief is the trade association for accredited debt-settlement providers. Across 2016 to 2025, regulated debt relief served about 8.1 million people and delivered $29.3 billion in net savings to consumers (EY, Debt Settlement Program Outcomes 2016–2025).
Disclosure. ACDR Vets is funded by the Association for Consumer Debt Relief. Every partner, speaker and paid advocate consents to partnership with ACDR Vets.
