How some veterans exploit the VA disability system
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 6 November 2025
⏱️ 35 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This year, taxpayers will spend about $193 billion to compensate almost 7 million disabled veterans. Some of the conditions prevent veterans from working or doing everyday tasks – but a Post investigation found that many are receiving money for easily manageable ailments like acne, eczema and sleep apnea. Others are filing fraudulent claims to get money for conditions they either don’t have or from which they’ve already recovered.
Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with investigative reporter Craig Whitlock about the antiquated rules that have left the system vulnerable to abuse and the failed attempts to enact reform..
Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson. It was edited by Ted Muldoon and mixed by Sam Bair.
Subscribe to The Washington Post here.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hi, I'm Susan Glasser. |
| 0:01.7 | I'm Jane Mayer. |
| 0:02.5 | And I'm Evan Osmos, and we host the Washington Roundtable from the New Yorker's political scene podcast. |
| 0:08.2 | For me, this is the water cooler. |
| 0:11.3 | This is a wonderful chance to sit down with two of the smartest colleagues in the country |
| 0:16.8 | and, you know, just kind of compare notes. |
| 0:19.4 | No, that's so true because, first of all, we are actually friends in real life, |
| 0:23.7 | but I can't wait until Fridays to hear what you guys think. |
| 0:27.0 | Everybody sees the headlines, but you guys fill in the gaps. |
| 0:30.7 | I also think, though, occasionally we get somebody to come on, and I'm always smarter for it. |
| 0:34.7 | If you get a great historian who can tell you about a presidential election 50, 60 years ago, often it can help you understand about what's happening today. |
| 0:42.0 | So if you're looking for weekly insights into what's going on inside the Beltway, |
| 0:47.8 | please join us every Friday on the Washington Roundtable, part of the New Yorkers Political |
| 0:52.6 | Scene podcast. |
| 1:06.0 | What you're hearing is sound from a video. |
| 1:10.2 | It's from the social media profile of a man named William Rashim Rich. |
| 1:12.5 | He's filming himself working out. |
| 1:15.7 | Rich is wearing a white tank top, black headphones. |
| 1:22.2 | He's standing up, lifting a set of dumbbells up and down, and dancing around with one of the weights. |
| 1:24.7 | William Rich is a veteran. |
| 1:27.0 | He served in Iraq in 2005. During his deployment, Rich was severely |
| 1:30.3 | injured in a bombing and was temporarily paralyzed from the waist down. But gradually, he recovered. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Washington Post, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Washington Post and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.