The Washington Post set out to expose fraud in the VA disability program and framed veterans as the source of failure. This framing endangers trust in the VA by those who served and clears a path for efforts to cut the earned care and compensation that keep veterans and their families stable. 

Fewer than 1% of Americans serve in the armed forces. Those few accept extraordinary risk on behalf of the other ninety-nine. Military service leaves lasting physical and mental costs, and disability compensation exists to honor that sacrifice. These benefits repay injuries and illnesses tied to training, deployment, and defending the nation. They are a binding obligation the country makes to those who step forward to serve. 

The Post built its story around a few dramatic fraud cases and presented them as if they reflect the system as a whole. The reality is that modern military service leaves deep, often invisible injuries: toxic exposure, concussions, chronic pain, disrupted sleep, moral injury, and decades of physical strain. These are the real human consequences of sustained conflict, not loopholes or scams. 

The Post drew on FOIA records and surveillance to highlight extreme fraud. Those cases are real and rare. They do not represent the millions – the majority of veterans – who file in good faith. The nation’s duty is to stop abuse while keeping faith with those who earned these benefits. 

The reporting also misstates how VA ratings work. Ratings measure how a service-connected condition limits daily life. Many veterans work while enduring serious pain, restricted movement, or health complications that meet the criteria for compensation. The law itself favors the veteran when evidence is evenly split — a standard created because service conditions are difficult to document decades later. 

“Military service changes the human body in ways few civilians ever see. Benefits are earned through that sacrifice. They are promises to those who trained, deployed, and carried the burden of defending and safeguarding our country. Veterans should never be blamed for a system that fails them. The issue is a claims process built for another era. It is on us to update it so veterans get the care and the compensation they were promised.” — Dr. Kyleanne Hunter, CEO, IAVA 

The disability system veterans rely on was built in 1945 and has only been patched since. Medical research has revealed the long-term toll of toxic exposure, repeated blasts, and the mental health impacts of modern service, yet the system has not been rebuilt to meet those realities. Our members live with the cost of that gap every day. They know how many injuries remain invisible and how poorly current rules fit today’s military experience. They expect IAVA to defend fellow veterans when their integrity is questioned and to push for a VA that is modern, fully resourced, and veteran-centered.  

Strengthening the VA does not mean turning it over to private actors. It means updating policy, enforcing accreditation, and investing in a workforce capable of meeting today’s demand. The program remains one of the nation’s most important public health safety nets, keeping injured veterans housed, treated, and connected to their communities. 

IAVA members know that fraud exists and support efforts to stop it because abuse harms every veteran who files in good faith. Strong oversight and adequate staffing ensure fairness, not suspicion. Outdated policy creates openings for bad actors, and a commercial industry of unaccredited claims businesses has taken advantage of confusing rules and long delays, charging veterans for help that should come from accredited representatives. 

A larger share of veterans now receive disability benefits because the nation endured two decades of continuous war, Vietnam and Gulf War veterans are aging, and the VA has expanded recognition of toxic exposure conditions while improving outreach. This is evidence of better access, not a surge in abuse. 

Real solutions strengthen, not shrink, the system. Modernizing the rating schedule to reflect today’s injuries, enforcing accreditation and penalties to stop profiteers, and sustaining the VA workforce will preserve taxpayer trust and keep the nation’s promises to veterans. 

Turning earned benefits into suspicion hands political cover to those seeking to shrink or dismantle VA care. The record does not justify that leap — and IAVA will continue holding every policymaker accountable to the promises made to those who served. 

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) is the leading voice of the post-9/11 generation of veterans. As a non-partisan, non-profit organization, IAVA is dedicated to connecting, uniting, and empowering our nation’s newest veterans through best-in-class advocacy, awareness, and membership programs. 

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