19.5% of veterans receive disability compensation payments. That does not sound like systematic rigging of the system.

https://www.census.gov/...terans-report.html#:~:text=Nearly%203.9%20million%20veterans%20(19.5,600%2C000%20veterans%20received%20pension%20payments.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure my dad (Vietnam) had undiagnosed PTSD, and we used to watch all the old WWII movies, which he loved.

But Vietnam? Nope. Full Metal Jacket was a hard pass. Not only would he not watch it, if you had it on 3 rooms over from him at normal volume he'd start screaming for you to turn it off.

He never, ever talked about Vietnam. Not once. I heard an awful story from one of his buddies. That's all I know.

Seeing the scale of human wreckage going to VA hospitals with my wife is just sobering. Spanning generations. Something largely invisible to most people.

Well, everyone knows those Army guys are total dirtbags....

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Slowguy

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Like any system, there are definitely those who will find the ways to abuse it for personal benefit. I obviously can only speak to my experience and the Sailors I've watched or helped transition out of the Navy. My impression has been that there isn't widespread horrific abuse of the system to get benefits for people who don't qualify. There are some people trying to get just as much as they can qualify for, kind of like doing your taxes and trying to get your maximum refund. There are some who know they don't have much wrong with them and aren't going to be bothered. There are guys like me who made their claim fully expecting to get about 20% rating and got a lot more instead because we tend to undervalue the degree to which 30 years in the military can cause problems.

You get the whole range, and sure, that includes some abuse.

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Slowguy

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