Lawmakers Address Systemic Failures in Veterans’ Disability Benefits

Veterans across the United States are confronting significant challenges in accessing disability benefits due to systemic failures in the administration of medical examinations, lawmakers reported during a recent oversight hearing. The House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs discussed numerous complaints from constituents, highlighting issues such as inappropriate examination settings, inadequate conditions, and poor accessibility for disabled veterans.

The subcommittee convened on October 19, 2023, to examine the process through which the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) manages disability benefits. Currently, more than 6 million veterans rely on these benefits for service-related injuries and illnesses. Lawmakers emphasized that the existing issues not only compromise the quality of evaluations but also hinder the timely support these veterans deserve.

Concerns Raised by Lawmakers

During the hearing, Republican subcommittee chair Morgan Luttrell of Texas underscored the gravity of the situation, stating, “If an exam is wrong, incomplete, inaccurate, or delayed, the veteran might not receive the benefits they earned from their service.” He noted that the VA has increasingly outsourced the majority of its medical examinations, with over 90 percent of evaluations contracted to private firms under a multibillion-dollar program. This shift has raised questions about the quality and reliability of these external evaluations.

Luttrell described a recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that revealed significant financial mismanagement, with millions awarded incorrectly to contractors failing to meet performance standards. Elizabeth Curda, representing the GAO, stated that the VA’s medical disability exam office had issued overpayments amounting to nearly $2.3 million in fiscal year 2024, resulting from lapses in incentive calculation processes and insufficient quality assurance measures.

Democratic Representative John Morgan McGarvey of Kentucky echoed these concerns, citing instances where disability exams took place in unsuitable environments, including hotel rooms. He remarked, “I’ve heard from veterans whose disability medical exams were conducted in hotel rooms and not at a medical office,” emphasizing the need for proper evaluation settings.

VA’s Response and Future Oversight

In response to the criticisms, Mary Glenn, deputy executive director of the VA’s Medical Disability Examination Office, acknowledged the issues raised during the hearing. She stated that the agency has implemented stricter requirements for examination settings to ensure veterans are accommodated safely and comfortably. “We want our veterans to feel safe and accommodated when they go to these exams,” Glenn noted.

The subcommittee pledged to maintain rigorous oversight of the VA’s disability examination process, with Luttrell assuring that lawmakers would continue to press for improvements. “We will never let that be enough, and it will never be perfect,” he stated. He expressed the importance of accountability, reaffirming that Congress will continue to scrutinize the VA’s operations to ensure better outcomes for veterans.

As the discussion unfolded, Republican Representative Jack Bergman of Michigan emphasized the urgency of refining oversight mechanisms, stating, “We can’t quit on the veterans. And we have to continue to refine the oversight and the detail of that oversight.”

The VA is now tasked with addressing these systemic flaws while ensuring that veterans receive the support they require and deserve. The hearing served as a critical platform for lawmakers to voice their commitment to improving the disability benefits system and rectifying the challenges veterans currently face.