DAV (Disabled American Veterans) was shocked and disgusted to read the recent article by The Washington Post alleging that disabled veterans are “swamping” the VA with “false”, “fraudulent” and “dubious” disability claims for injuries and illnesses that are not legitimate. Nothing could be farther from the truth and the Post should be ashamed of publishing such an inaccurate and distorted piece.

The article points to the large number of veterans awarded disability compensation in recent years and a small number of outrageous frauds committed by a relative handful of individuals. However, the rising number of veterans receiving VA disability compensation isn’t a story about widespread abuse or fraud; It’s a story about our nation’s continuing efforts to keep the promise to those who have served during multiple wars over the course of generations.

In fact, the increase in claims is driven primarily by the PACT Act, bipartisan legislation enacted in 2022 to finally acknowledge, compensate, and care for veterans who suffered toxic wounds from burn pits, Agent Orange, and other hazards in the line of duty. Rather than impugning the integrity of 6.9 million disabled veterans by implying that only some of them deserve their benefits, we’d remind the Post that our nation has been at war for most of the last 25 years exposing millions of men and women to blast injuries, toxic chemicals, psychological trauma, and other mortal dangers.

While the Post story focuses only on whether a disabled veteran can hold a full-time job, it totally disregards how service-connected injuries and illnesses can impact every aspect of a veteran’s life, and in many cases, even shorten it. They do not even consider how these lifelong wounds, both visible and invisible, impact the families, caregivers, and survivors of those who defended our freedom.

We certainly condemn all fraud and believe any criminal acts should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But these cases represent just a tiny fraction of the 6.9 million disabled veterans’ claims that are completely legitimate. They have been approved based on federal laws, regulations, and processes, subject to the presentation of sufficient evidence of the negative impact their service-related injuries and illnesses have on their lives.

As the nation’s leading veteran advocacy organization representing more than a million veterans and family members, all done at no charge to veterans and no profit to DAV, we see firsthand the full price disabled veterans have paid to protect our freedom. We know from the veterans we represent that it’s not easy to admit you have a disability in most cases and the process of establishing service connection and securing benefits and health care is already difficult.

That’s why we are outraged that the blatantly misleading conclusions the Post asserts could actually discourage some disabled veterans from seeking the benefits they’ve earned. Given everything we know about the importance of connecting veterans with the larger community of support, it’s irresponsible for the Post to rely on such specious and spurious analysis to support a conclusion it appears they had already reached before they began writing.

To those who have served, and particularly our nation’s 6.9 million disabled veterans, we thank you for your service. And we encourage all our brothers and sisters who are wondering whether they are entitled to benefits and services from the federal government to disregard The Washington Post’s disparaging and cynical commentary; Instead, you can reach out to DAV to learn your rights and get help at benefitsquestions.org.