In an urgent response to the growing concern over fraudulent activities targeting veterans, officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have unveiled a comprehensive initiative aimed at safeguarding veterans’ benefits. The initiative comes as fears rise that the substantial expansion of assistance programs in the past year could potentially attract more scammers seeking to exploit vulnerable veterans.
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and stay up to date.
New Online Resource
Central to this endeavor is the launch of an informative online resource accessible at http://www.va.gov/vsafe. This platform is designed to empower veterans by providing them with essential tools to identify scams, report suspicious individuals or entities, and access benefits assistance without any cost. Moreover, the VA intends to integrate this critical information into veterans’ routine healthcare visits and interactions with benefits processors to ensure veterans are regularly reminded of the resources at their disposal.
VA Secretary Denis McDonough emphasized the importance of disseminating this information widely, stating, “We’re getting this into the hands of our regional office directors, we’re getting this into the hands of our medical center teams, so they can be talking to veterans in very plain language about this.”
Rising cases of Benefits Fraud
Since the beginning of the fiscal year, the VA has initiated investigations into approximately 12,500 potential cases of benefits fraud and offered support to 1,164 victims of these scams. This troubling trend is partly attributed to the passage of the military toxic exposure benefits legislation in August 2022, which marked the first time veterans could receive financial compensation for a range of illnesses linked to inhaling burn pit smoke in war zones.
Maureen Elias, VA Deputy Chief of Staff, voiced her concern, saying, “Any time there’s new benefits or new money that’s been allocated to individuals, there’s an opportunity for fraudsters and scamsters to come in.” She shed light on VA’s concerns on the emergence of unaccredited claims consultants who charge veterans for filing their initial claims, sometimes demanding fees equal to a portion of the increase their services achieve.
Personal Experience Highlights Vulnerability
Elias, herself an Army veteran and military spouse, shared a personal account with reporters, recounting how her family fell victim to a scammer who falsely promised to use her veterans benefits to assist in paying off home loans. She candidly admitted that her vulnerability stemmed from a lack of knowledge about how to verify whether the company’s promises aligned with VA rules and regulations. Elias asserted, “So now, we want to oversaturate veterans with fraud and scam information, so that they know how to recognize it and what to do when it comes to them.”
Outreach and Education
Secretary McDonough has been actively cautioning veterans about the risks posed by scammers in recent speeches before veterans’ organizations. Part of the VA’s outreach strategy involves collaborating with these organizations to guide veterans towards proper channels for addressing their benefits-related inquiries.
The VA has been inundated with nearly 2.3 million disability claims filed by veterans and survivors in fiscal year 2023, marking a historic high. In this critical juncture, the VA’s commitment to protecting veterans from scams and fraud is more vital than ever, ensuring that those who have served our nation receive the benefits they rightfully deserve.
