Why 30% of military veterans get disability benefits, forcing Congress to scramble

Soaring VA expenses are prompting some analysts to ask whether the VA is using its funds in a way that best helps veterans.

These questions can be sensitive for public officials to tackle. “It’s very difficult to have a conversation about it, because it can very easily unintentionally signal that we sent troops off to do the dirty work and now we’re going back on our commitment as a nation,” says Katherine Kuzminski, director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at the Center for a New American Security think tank.

What’s more, up until recently, troops who served for less than 20 years weren’t entitled to retirement benefits, even though, as in the case of Iraq and Afghanistan, they were deploying frequently, she adds. This incentivized some vets to maximize compensation they could claim through other means.

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