Ranking Member Takano and VSOs Call Out Washington Post Article That Accuses Veterans of Exploiting Their Benefits
WASHINGTON—Today, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano and Veteran Service Organization (VSO) leadership responded to the Washington Post’s recent article titled “How some veterans exploit $193 billion VA program, due to lax controls,” written by Craig Whitlock, Lisa Rein, and Caitlin Gilbert and published on October 6th.
“In an attempt to spotlight VA claims system challenges, the Washington Post omitted essential context and misled readers, undermining the vital care and benefits veterans rely on. The article conflates an uptick in VA benefit claims with a handful of anecdotes of veteran wrongdoing to paint the misguided picture that veterans are exploiting the VA benefits system,” said Ranking Member Takano. "I proudly led the passage of the Honoring our PACT Act, legislation that followed through on our promises to deliver long-overdue benefits and healthcare for toxic-exposed veterans. This rise in claims isn’t evidence of mass fraud; it’s proof that veterans are finally accessing the benefits they were long owed.”
Ranking Member Takano continued, “Criminals and fraudsters exploit every government program, and the PACT Act is no exception. This article’s focus on veterans as the culprits overlooks the real fraud: for-profit claim sharks and medical mills that lure veterans with promises of higher disability ratings—if the veterans pay them thousands of dollars. My colleagues and I, alongside VSOs, are working to tackle this problem. For example, Congressman Chris Pappas introduced H.R. 1732, the bipartisan GUARD VA Benefits Act, which has 99 cosponsors and would reinstate criminal penalties for unaccredited claim representatives charging veterans unauthorized fees for VA disability claims. Despite its strong bipartisan backing, the claim-shark lobby has spent millions to block this commonsense reform from moving forward.” He continued, “To highlight the existence of fraud, the Washington Post brazenly portrayed all veterans as potential fraudsters. I implore the Washington Post to reexamine the goal of its upcoming stories in this four-part series. We should fight to improve veterans’ care by exposing truths, not blaming veterans for the challenges they face.”
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing resources, community, and a voice to post-9/11 veterans, joined Ranking Member Takano in calling out the Washington Post article. “Blaming veterans is not the way to fix the system. The vast majority of veterans are following the rules and seeking benefits they have earned through service and sacrifice. Portraying millions of veterans as opportunists based on isolated cases of fraud is both misleading and harmful. Military service changes the human body in ways few civilians ever see. Benefits are not handouts. They are promises to those who trained, deployed, and carried the burden of defending and safeguarding our country,” said Dr. Kyleanne Hunter, CEO of IAVA. “Our nation’s disability program was built to provide stability for those whose lives were changed by service. To suggest that this support is being broadly exploited ignores the reality that many veterans still struggle to access care, mental health support, and timely claims decisions.” She continued, “Instead of scapegoating veterans, we should be focused on accountability, modernization, and compassion, especially during a government shutdown when so many are already facing uncertainty.”
Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) joined Ranking Member Takano in calling into question the portrayal of veterans in the Washington Post article. "The article ignores the decades-long fight our members waged to secure recognition and benefits for conditions related to service, including harms from Agent Orange and other toxic exposures. For thousands of veterans who continue to face obstacles to care and justice, this is not a historical footnote. It is lived reality,” Vietnam Veterans of America said. “We oppose narratives that set veterans against one another and are in favor of truthfulness and accountability. To make sure that every claim is authentic, the Department of Veterans Affairs has put in countless hours of work eliminating abuse, waste, and fraud in the claims division. Additionally, Congress has established the PACT Act, which makes certain toxic exposure conditions presumed by law. Fraud exists and should be prosecuted, even the Post mentions about 70 prosecutions since 2017, a tiny portion of 6.9 million beneficiaries. The current inventory and backlog reflect historic post-PACT volumes. The path forward is modernization with veterans at the table: strengthen sanctions against unaccredited consultants, invest in evidence-based testing and analytics, and preserve earned presumptions. We will work with Congress, the Committee, and fellow veterans’ organizations to protect and advance the rights of all who served.”
Union Veterans Council (UVC), a labor organization dedicated to advocating for veterans’ rights in the workplace, joined Ranking Member Takano in calling for action in the Washington Post article. "There is no one who understands better than our nation's veterans the need to improve the delivery of VA benefits,” said Craig Romanovich, Executive Director, AFL-CIO Union Veterans Council. “Chronic understaffing and underfunding has left far too many of our veterans waiting far too long for critical services. And with the Trump administration's cuts to the VA and union-busting of its workforce, these problems are only getting worse. Let's be clear: the greatest threat the VA faces is from those who are working to privatize and gut it, not the veterans who depend on it."
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