An inspector general’s followup review of 100% disability cases approved by the Veterans Benefits Administration found nearly 2 in 5 cases in which “veterans received almost $85 million in improper benefit payments since January 2012 because these claims lacked adequate medical evidence.”

Without further action, the audit (PDF version) said, the VBA “could continue making unsupported payments to veterans totaling about $371 million over the next 5 years.”

“We remain concerned of VBA’s financial stewardship of these claims,” Linda A. Halliday,
assistant inspector general for audits and evaluations wrote.

The VBA in a response to the audit said it disagreed with the estimate of improper payments, calling it “significantly overstated” and based on a too-small sample.

The report is embedded below.