Hair loss, jock itch and toenail fungus: The millions taxpayers spend in VA ‘disability’ benefits each year
The Department of Veterans Affairs has reportedly been deluged with dubious disability claims, including tens of millions of dollars worth of fraud, as claims for easily treated ailments have skyrocketed.
Claims across a variety of categories have increased sharply in the past two-and-a-half decades, according to government data obtained by The Washington Post, even as the overall population of veterans has declined by nearly 10 million during that time period.
About 556,000 ex-service members get disability benefits for eczema, 332,000 get payments for hemorrhoids, 110,000 are eligible thanks to benign skin growths, while 81,000 get payments for acne, according to the investigation.
Last year, 659,335 got payments for sleep apnea, a commonly treated condition, about 11 times the figure who did so in 2009. The agency now typically pays more to vets with this condition than those who have had leg amputations below the knee due to combat, per the outlet.
These numbers dwarf the number of payments going out to veterans for more clearly combat related injuries, including the roughly 11,000 getting benefits for severe or penetrating brain injuries, or the fewer than 1,700 getting benefits for losing limbs during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In veterans circles, according to the investigation, it’s not uncommon for people to be encouraged to claim as many disabilities as possible, and the department pays for thousands of former soldiers’ jock itch, toe nail fungus, hair loss treatments, and other issues that don’t clearly hinder employment.
Since 2001, the number of disabilities claimed per injured veteran has doubled, as has the number of veterans claiming a 100 percent disabled rating.
In that period, the number of veterans claiming payments for tinnitus has risen by more than 20 times, while those getting checks for hay fever increased by a factor of 22.
Beyond just claims for common ailments, some veterans have engaged in brazen attempts at fraud, including an Army vet who was indicted last year for conspiring to defraud the government out of $1.1 million by pretending to be paralyzed, only to spend some of the funds on Caribbean vacations and gambling in Las Vegas.
The VA has uncovered at least 70 such fraud schemes since 2017.
All told, the VA is on track to spend $193 billion this year on disability claims, the Washington Post found, greater than the cost of running the entire Army.
Observers say factors influencing the spiking number of claims include laws such as the 2022 Pact Act, which made it easier to get both legitimate benefits linked to exposure to toxic hazards, as well as to make fraudulent clients.
Despite estimates like a 2018 Congressional Budget Finding that ending disability payments for ordinary diseases could save $33 billion over a decade, attempts to do anything resembling cuts to benefits for veterans has often proved a political non-starter.
In July, the Trump administration backed away from a previous plan to cut 83,000 workers at the agency amid outcry from veterans groups.
