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A Washington Post exposé on veterans faking disabilities has raised concerns about the Department of Veterans Affairs' $193-billion disability benefits program - and how much fraud is costing taxpayers and veterans who legitimately need care.

The Post uncovered 30 cases of veterans who bilked the program system out of millions of dollars in the past two decades by pretending to be blind, paralyzed or unable to walk. (1)

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Like Iraq War vet Kinsley Kilpatrick, who showed up at the Atlanta VA Medical Center in a wheelchair, claiming to be paralyzed. He was awarded $7,900 a month in tax-free disability payments and a $20,000 specially equipped Jeep.

His scam fell apart when a whistleblower sent investigators video of Kilpatrick flipping on a trampoline and diving into a ball pit. He pleaded guilty to fraud and was sentenced to six months in prison. He and his wife had to repay $201,902 in restitution.

Critics are raising the alarm about a lack of oversight that leaves the system open to abuse.

According to the Post, cutbacks have left the VA inspector general's office responsible for most fraud investigations.

The office opens roughly 60 disability fraud cases each year. Since 2017, the VA has confirmed a total 70 cases of fraud out of 6.9 million claims. (2)

The advocacy group Disabled American Veterans (DAV) argues this actually demonstrates how rare the fraud is.

But watchdogs say even a small percentage of false filings can drain millions of taxpayer dollars that could be better spent on veterans' legitimate needs.

Honor system called into question

“The system is vulnerable to manipulation,” former VA inspector general Michael Missal told the Post.

“There's a high risk that people can either lie about their condition or exaggerate their condition.”

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One concern is that many disability claims - like those for back pain, PTSD or migraines - rely on self-reported symptoms rather than medical tests. That makes it easy for a few bad actors to game the system.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Government Accountability Office say lax documentation and political pressure to“approve, not deny” claims have led to rising costs without enough oversight, threatening the entire program and the welfare of veterans with legitimate disabilities. (3) (4)

At the same time, scrutiny of the program has increased as the number of veterans receiving VA disability benefits has climbed even as the overall veteran population has shrunk.

The advocacy group Rep for Vets notes that the increase in claims is legitimate - the direct result of increased conflicts in the past 20 years (including the Afghanistan and Iraq wars) and the passage of the bipartisan PACT Act in 2022. (5)

PACT opened up VA disability compensation for veterans who experienced cancers as a result of exposure to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, Agent Orange in the Vietnam war and toxic water at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. (6)

Nevertheless, with VA disability spending projected to keep climbing, experts warn that tightening verification and increasing audits are critical to make sure the system's not being abused.

Can fraud hurt legitimate care?

The Congressional Budget Office sees these growing costs as a piece of the federal fiscal picture, and when fraud or abuse stories hit the headlines, it can often trigger political backlash. (7)

Fraud magnifies problems like faulty processes, and it erodes social trust. For taxpayers, it's simple: every false claim is money not going where it needs to, which is helping vets who are in legitimate need.

The Government Accountability Office recommends more internal controls to find errors in claims processing. (8) There could be improved testing of all claims, including those involving conditions like PTSD, chronic pain and migraines.

Research from the National Academies reveals that the VA awards disability claims for such conditions based on what veterans report and how medical experts interpret it, which can make those judgments less consistent and may create incentives to exaggerate symptoms. (9)

Setting up independent exams and standardized evaluations can help catch such inconsistencies, but they're not foolproof and take resources to run.

With targeted improvements and safeguards to keep the system compassionate and accessible, taxpayers can continue to take care of those who served our country.

Article sources

We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.

Washington Post (1 ), (3 ); Disabled American Veterans (2 ); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (3, (6 ); U.S. Government Accountability Office (4 ); Rep for Vets (5 ); The Congressional Budget Office (7 ); Government Accountability Office (8 ); National Academies (9 )

This article originally appeared on Moneywise under the title: Iraq War vet faked being paralyzed to claim $201K in benefits - why the VA honor system is so vulnerable to fraud

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.

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