"Over decades, the government has spent billions ondisability payments for veterans with sleep apnea, a common condition that interrupts breathing during sleep and causesfatigue. In early 2022, officials were determined to pare that back. Medical advances mean most apneasufferers now have few or no symptoms and can hold jobs. So Denis McDonough, then the secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, announced a proposal to change the benefits system to reflect the new reality, and - going forward - slash monthly checks for many veterans."
"Approved sleep apnea claims have exploded, growing more than elevenfold from 2009 to 2024, VA data shows. Last year, about 660,000 veterans collected disability benefits for sleep apnea - up from 57,000 in 2009. It's created "a catch-22 all the way around," said retired Army Lt. Gen. James Terry Scott, who led a presidential commission starting in 2004 to assess the disability system."
Over decades the government spent billions on disability payments for veterans with sleep apnea, a condition that interrupts breathing during sleep and causes fatigue. Approved claims grew more than elevenfold from 2009 to 2024, reaching about 660,000 beneficiaries. Medical advances have left most sufferers with few or no symptoms and able to work. Department of Veterans Affairs leadership proposed reducing monthly payments for many veterans in early 2022, but the proposal failed. The disability program now costs an estimated $193 billion, and policymakers have repeatedly retreated from reforms that could reduce benefits because of political resistance.
Read at The Washington Post
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