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re: Fat national guard soldier talks about his plans to scam the VA for disability
Posted on 7/29/26 at 11:04 am to West Monroe
Posted on 7/29/26 at 11:04 am to West Monroe
quote:
I know someone who left the military on 100% disability. Guess what he is doing now......a fireman.....how are you disabled yet can be a fireman.
There's the problem. Its not actually a payment because you are disabled and can't work. Its payment for service related injuries as a workers compensation settlement versus a true disability program.
The biggest scam in this whole program is our politicians selling it to the taxpayers as "disability" when in actuality it workers compensation.
The term "disability" creates a completely different image and expectations than what the program is in reality and in my opinion is the reason for these daily threads that inevitably include "I know someone who left the military on 100% disability. Guess what he is doing now......a fireman.....how are you disabled yet can be a fireman."
Why the VA’s Disability System Is Really Worker’s Compensation
2
Posted on 7/29/26 at 11:09 am to el Gaucho
quote:
What if a group of taxpayers were given baseball bats and the welfare/food stamp seeker had to run through some sort of gauntlet to earn their gibs
Or run across hot coals like Ave Ventura 2
Posted on 7/29/26 at 11:11 am to TheOcean
this is gross. People like that make it harder for vets who actually need help. If his knees are bad from being overweight, that's not service-related. Hope someone reports him.
Posted on 7/29/26 at 11:33 am to iosman987
quote:The VA generally does then they go the disability mill route and get fleeced by law firms that squeeze the VA.
this is gross. People like that make it harder for vets who actually need help. If his knees are bad from being overweight, that's not service-related. Hope someone reports him.
One thing the VA should do is more community care use for medical issues, because they can do it cheaper that VA can... VA should focus on actual military specific things like concussions, hearing loss, chemical exposure and service connected PTSD.
Posted on 7/29/26 at 12:04 pm to armytiger96
quote:
The term "disability" creates a completely different image and expectations than what the program is in reality and in my opinion is the reason for these daily threads that inevitably include "I know someone who left the military on 100% disability. Guess what he is doing now......a fireman.....how are you disabled yet can be a fireman."
Yes, but even with that distinction, 100% disability/worker's compensation doesn't jive well with a physically and mentally demanding job. Getting 100% either requires stacking several maladies or a very serious one. If a veteran has some combination hearing loss, joint pain, disc issues, migraines, narcolepsy, PTSD, etc. to extent they qualify for 100%, then it is no surprise that working in emergency response would be questioned. There could be legitimate reasons why it doesn't create an issue performing that type of job while managing the issues, but I'm just saying it makes sense to wonder why.
These threads come up because there is legitimate abuse of said system and it unfortunately puts it all in a bad light.
Posted on 7/29/26 at 12:13 pm to choupiquesushi
[ so someone that suffers a life changing injury in training or normal ops is on his own ]
I haven't seen a single person say that. Certainly not me. And frick you too drama queen.
I haven't seen a single person say that. Certainly not me. And frick you too drama queen.
Posted on 7/29/26 at 12:24 pm to SparkyWilson
quote:
Yes, but even with that distinction, 100% disability/worker's compensation doesn't jive well with a physically and mentally demanding job. Getting 100% either requires stacking several maladies or a very serious one. If a veteran has some combination hearing loss, joint pain, disc issues, migraines, narcolepsy, PTSD, etc. to extent they qualify for 100%, then it is no surprise that working in emergency response would be questioned. There could be legitimate reasons why it doesn't create an issue performing that type of job while managing the issues, but I'm just saying it makes sense to wonder why.
Understood, I used fireman as an example because that was the one that was used in this thread. Substitute high paying management job if you would like. Either way my point is having a 100% rating from the VA does not prevent someone from being able to obtain high paying jobs nor does having a high paying job prevent someone from getting a rating of 100%.
quote:
These threads come up because there is legitimate abuse of said system and it unfortunately puts it all in a bad light.
Is there abuse; absolutely. Hopefully, those abusing the system are punished to the full extent of the law.
However, I truly believe that most of the perceived abuse anecdotes that are mentioned in these threads daily are legitimate claims under the program as written, but are perceived as abuse because the perception of what joe tax payer on this board considers 100% is completely different than what is written in the laws that govern the VA Disability.
Posted on 7/29/26 at 12:31 pm to choupiquesushi
quote:
No where does it say disability is required to come from combat. Add that we no longer have a volunteer force.
You are absolutely correct Sir. I didn't go far enough into details in my post as I should have. Many never saw a lick of combat and are claiming PTSD. Many are making claims that aren't valid. I'm all for people getting compensated but I think you'd agree that the system is being abused.
Posted on 7/29/26 at 12:42 pm to terriblegreen
I've told this before but it's still applicable:
When I was a kid my dad coached one of the local American Legion baseball teams. We would have to go to Legion BBQs and other functions. One of the Legionnaires (Mr Anderson) said, "There are no bigger bums than VA bums." Had no clue what he was talking about when I was 7-8 years old. But, it always stuck with me. And he isn't necessarily wrong.
When I was a kid my dad coached one of the local American Legion baseball teams. We would have to go to Legion BBQs and other functions. One of the Legionnaires (Mr Anderson) said, "There are no bigger bums than VA bums." Had no clue what he was talking about when I was 7-8 years old. But, it always stuck with me. And he isn't necessarily wrong.
Posted on 7/29/26 at 12:42 pm to TheOcean
Why has this become such a posted about issue on OT? This is not a new issue. This is a problem that the VA and the armed services created. The VA denied thousands of valid claims for years. The main reason for not validating claims was lack of documentation. Younger troops understand this and start documenting issues as soon as possible.
Posted on 7/29/26 at 12:46 pm to Solo Cam
quote:
Here's a real sad conversation that needs to be had - there's entirely too many veterans claiming full disability who saw zero combat time, went to zero combat zones and they're drawing these benefits in perpetuity
When our guard unit was deployed to Iraq, there were two very specific groups of soldiers who were already setting this up from the time our boots hit the ground. 1) The technician - these are reserve component soldiers who also have a full time job as a civilian technician with the military. They were mostly middle age white males who literally carried around their medical files with them everywhere they went to potentially document an ingrown toenail or IED which exploded 3 miles away and caused them PTSD. They would then get a disability rating which could enhance their retirement pay 2) The AA women officers - we had a handful of AA women O3-O5 grade officers (HQ type unit) who were either unemployed or worked for the city/state in civilian life. Their M.O. was to set up something medically so that when we finished, they would need to be retained on orders stateside for up to a year to clear get paid $$.
Posted on 7/29/26 at 12:57 pm to armytiger96
quote:Agreed. After years of reading these threads, it is obvious that the main problem is people expecting VA disability compensation to function like Social Security Disability Insurance simply because both contain the word “disability.” They somehow ignore that one also says “compensation” while the other says “insurance.”
There's the problem. Its not actually a payment because you are disabled and can't work. Its payment for service related injuries as a workers compensation settlement versus a true disability program.
The biggest scam in this whole program is our politicians selling it to the taxpayers as "disability" when in actuality it workers compensation.
The term "disability" creates a completely different image and expectations than what the program is in reality and in my opinion is the reason for these daily threads that inevitably include "I know someone who left the military on 100% disability. Guess what he is doing now......a fireman.....how are you disabled yet can be a fireman."
That is how you get, “My cousin’s husband receives VA disability and still works, so he must be scamming.” Their anger is misdirected. VA compensation is a congressionally authorized benefit for service-connected injuries and illnesses, not a declaration that the veteran is incapable of holding any job.
The issue is not that “scammers are a third rail nobody wants to touch.” The issue is that most of the examples they describe as scams are simply the program functioning exactly as designed. They disagree with the policy but direct their anger at individual veterans instead of the elected representatives who created it and have the authority to change it.
Posted on 7/29/26 at 1:02 pm to TheOcean
So he puts his crime on the record. Smart
This post was edited on 7/29/26 at 1:04 pm
Posted on 7/29/26 at 1:09 pm to LsuNav
quote:
Why has this become such a posted about issue on OT?
Facebook/Twitter algorithms.
One easy way to reduce the overall bill for VA benefits is to stop fighting so many questionable wars in the middle east.
There are many bogus claims without exposure to active combat situations but a ton, right and wrong I'm sure, are directly related to Iraq, Afganistan and Iran.
Any other way of policing the benefits likely involves spending even more on increasing doctors/specialists and red tape and also ends up denying benefits to more vets who actually deserve them.
Posted on 7/29/26 at 1:11 pm to Solo Cam
quote:
Here's a real sad conversation that needs to be had - there's entirely too many veterans claiming full disability who saw zero combat time, went to zero combat zones and they're drawing these benefits in perpetuity
I think on the upper end it's 40/50k per month, for LIFE.
I assume then that they get SS on top of that when the time comes.
Posted on 7/29/26 at 1:16 pm to DarkDrifter
quote:The guy may very well be a bum, but what crime or fraud did he actually describe? You are free to hate the program, but he is talking about using it exactly as Congress designed it.
So he puts his crime on the record. Smart
This is precisely why I keep saying people do not understand VA disability compensation. They see a veteran working while receiving benefits, assume that must be a scam, and direct their anger at the veteran even though nothing they described violates the rules.
Using a program you dislike does not make someone a scammer when he is following the law and meeting the program’s requirements. Write your congressman and ask for the program to be changed. Do not accuse veterans of fraud simply because the program does not work the way you assumed it did.
Posted on 7/29/26 at 1:19 pm to Jackie Chan
quote:
I've noticed the amount of lifted truck and jeeps kitted out on custom wheels with a DV license plate has skyrocketed in recent years.
That's when I started to become aware. The sheer number of people with VA Disability plates. Are they free or something?
Once you see it, you can't unsee it. And yes it is interesting to see one on a truck that clearly takes a good climb to get in.
Posted on 7/29/26 at 1:22 pm to FLObserver
quote:and the people doing it keep getting voted into office
This is the truth. You have state, local and federal governments raising taxes yearly on hard working folks with no real accountability to where their money goes . Add to the fact that you have scams allowing veterans getting paid for the rest of their lives for injuries that should never be considered a lifetime disability. I say that as a veteran.
Posted on 7/29/26 at 1:23 pm to northshorebamaman
quote:
Agreed. After years of reading these threads, it is obvious that the main problem is people expecting VA disability compensation to function like Social Security Disability Insurance simply because both contain the word “disability.” They somehow ignore that one also says “compensation” while the other says “insurance.”
That is how you get, “My cousin’s husband receives VA disability and still works, so he must be scamming.” Their anger is misdirected. VA compensation is a congressionally authorized benefit for service-connected injuries and illnesses, not a declaration that the veteran is incapable of holding any job.
The issue is not that “scammers are a third rail nobody wants to touch.” The issue is that most of the examples they describe as scams are simply the program functioning exactly as designed. They disagree with the policy but direct their anger at individual veterans instead of the elected representatives who created it and have the authority to change it.
I think this is still missing it. Some may not be able to see past "oh, why are they working". Others see, "why is he working as a fireman instead of a less physically and mentally demanding job if he's rated 100%." which is what I think that poster meant. That's a big difference. Like I said earlier, there may be legitimate reasons why someone on 100% can still perform that type of job and manage the issues that got them to 100%, but it's easy to see why someone would question that.
The issue is people don't like to see abuse of systems that are meant for legitimate claims for help. it happens across all of them and casts a bad light on all of them.
Posted on 7/29/26 at 1:23 pm to Grievous Angel
You can have a low rating and get a tag.
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