Unite For Veterans Responds to Recent Articles on VA Fraud
The Unite for Veterans Coalition is concerned about the Washington Post’s series on fraud in the VA’s disability system. These articles wrongly focus on a handful of individuals defrauding the system, while ignoring the vast majority of recipients who are receiving the benefits they earned through their service. We are concerned that these articles misrepresent the veteran community and cast disabled veterans in a negative light that will be used as a justification to further erode our system of services for veterans who have sacrificed so much for this country.
While fraud and the misuse of taxpayer dollars is a concern that every American should have, these articles present an inaccurate picture of the veteran community. Our community has spent the last 20 years fighting America’s longest wars, a fact which the Washington Post failed to mention in its disingenuous reporting. After 9/11, America called its sons and daughters to serve in its defense, and now that the bill has come due we cannot abandon those who served because of the wounds they carry.
The fact is that veterans deserve their earned benefits AND the executive is responsible for ensuring benefits are distributed properly to veterans who have earned them.
Recent staffing reductions at the VA make the problem worse. When the VA cuts the people who provide internal oversight, it increases the potential for fraud.
Neither of the Washington Post’s articles mentioned the role of for-profit organizations with financial interest and a bottom line reliant on veteran customers receiving an increased disability rating. The VA, by allowing these non-accredited claim processing organizations to exist, creates a significant financial incentive to exaggerate claims, employ medical examiners with a clear conflict of interest, and charge extreme sums for their services despite Congressional mandate that these services be provided free of charge through VA-accredited service officers.
Fraud should be addressed — but not at the expense of millions of veterans who rely on these benefits in good faith. The VA could be more transparent about the numbers of unaccredited companies involved in claims. It could work to improve its disability claims process.
We urge the VA to reverse course on any staff reductions that would limit the effectiveness of the Veterans Benefits Administration and to rein in non-accredited claims processing organizations.
For press contact, please email: info@unite4vets.org
