"Military veterans are swamping the U.S. government with dubious disability claims- includingcasesof brazen fraudtotaling tens of millions of dollars - that areexploiting the country's sacred commitment to compensate those harmedin the line of duty, according to a Washington Post investigation. Taxpayers will spend roughly$193billion this year for the Department of Veterans Affairs to compensate about 6.9 million disabled veterans on the presumption that their ability to work is impaired. VA officials say most veterans' disability claims are legitimate."
"The investigation exposed an increasingly costly disability program prone to rampant exaggeration and fraud, which make it harder for veterans with legitimate claims to get their benefits processed. Bipartisan political indifference and a weak array of checks and balances have compounded the dysfunction. Veterans' advocates, for-profit companies and VA itself encourage vets to file as many claims as possible to milk the system."
Military veterans are submitting large numbers of dubious disability claims, including brazen fraud totaling tens of millions of dollars, exploiting the nation’s commitment to compensate those harmed in the line of duty. Taxpayers will fund roughly $193 billion this year to compensate about 6.9 million disabled veterans under the presumption of impaired work ability. Far fewer service members receive compensation for severe combat injuries. Rampant exaggeration and fraud increase costs and delay legitimate claims. Bipartisan indifference, weak checks and easy-to-manipulate regulations enable waste, and some advocates, for-profit firms and parts of the VA encourage multiple filings.
Read at The Washington Post
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