VA's disability program is an 'honor system.' These veterans are defrauding it.

"Kinsley Kilpatrick put on a convincing show. During visits to Atlanta VA Medical Center, the Iraq War veteran arrived in a wheelchair, claiming multiple sclerosis had paralyzed his arms and legs. By the time he turned 35, the onetime athlete said he could barely move from the neck down, leaving him dependent on others to eat, dress and bathe, according to court records."

"The federal government also gave him $20,000 for a specially equipped Jeep Cherokee to make it easier for his wife to take him to medical appointments. The hoax lasted for three years and might have continued indefinitely, if not for a whistleblower who sent VA proof that Kilpatrick was lying: videos of the Army veteran backflipping on a trampoline, prancing around a sports field like a ballerina and swan diving into a playground ball pit."

"VA's $193billion disability program - one of the biggest line items in the federal budget - has become a rich target for fraudsters, according to a Washington Post investigation. Each year, the agency's inspector generalopens dozens of criminal cases into veterans like Kilpatrick who are suspected of faking injuries or illnesses for money. "The system is vulnerable to manipulation," said Michael Missal, who served as VA's inspector general for nearly nine years until January, when President Donald Trump fired him"

Kinsley Kilpatrick falsely claimed paralysis from multiple sclerosis, receiving monthly tax-free disability payments and a $20,000 adapted vehicle while appearing in a wheelchair at the Atlanta VA Medical Center. He performed athletic maneuvers in videos — backflips, prancing on a field and diving into a ball pit — that exposed the fraud after a whistleblower provided evidence to VA. VA's $193 billion disability program is cited as vulnerable to manipulation, and the inspector general opens dozens of criminal cases each year into suspected fraudulent claims. Officials have acknowledged systemic vulnerabilities amid efforts to detect and prosecute fraudulent veterans.

Read at The Washington Post