Veterans who receive higher compensation with Special Monthly Compensation (SMC), Purple Heart recipients, Veterans receiving income-based pension or survivors’ pension, and those receiving specially adapted housing (SAH) benefits are frequently targeted by bad actors.
The increased financial compensation associated with SMC benefits and the visibility of Purple Heart recipients can attract scammers looking to exploit Veterans. These scams range from identity theft and fraudulent investment schemes to fraudulent financial services charging unnecessary fees for services VA offers for free.
VA is committed to safeguarding Veterans, their families and caregivers against fraudulent activity, and it provides the following guidance to protect Veterans’ benefits and avoid benefit payment redirection.
- Do not share VA.gov usernames, passwords or answers to security questions with anyone—including family members, accredited representatives, or anyone who receives compensation from their VA benefits.
- Do not deposit VA benefits directly into a bank account that does not have the Veteran’s name on it, such as a caregiver’s bank account. VA benefits should be deposited into a bank account the beneficiary can access, and where the beneficiary’s name is included on the account.
Pension poaching
VA pension and survivors’ pension are income-based benefits which are frequently targeted by bad actors in a scam called ‘Pension Poaching’. Pension poaching is a financial scam where bad actors advise Veterans to transfer assets or add unnecessary home health care expenses so they can adjust their income to qualify for VA pension or survivors pension benefits. Obtaining VA benefits through deceptive practices may require Veterans (and not the bad actor) to repay any falsified amounts. If a Veteran needs assistance filing a claim for VA benefits or services, they should work with a VA accredited Veterans Service Organization representative, attorney or claims agent.
Specially Adapted Housing Grant recipients
Veterans with a service-connected disability who have been approved for Specially Adapted Housing grants should exercise caution when hiring contractors. Many scammers go door to door, so be wary of uninvited home improvement salespeople. Veterans should obtain multiple bids for any home improvement project, take time to decide on a contractor, seek references, read reviews and contact licensing agencies for verification. Veterans should also take the following precautions:
- Verify necessary permits are filed with the city before the contractor initiates work. Regularly check on the progress of your home improvements.
- Ask questions about the quality of materials, get a breakdown of costs for specific tasks, and verify the contractor’s source of labor and meeting licensing requirements by state.
- Always read contracts carefully. Legitimate businesses usually provide a contract to protect their business, and a well-written contract should protect the homeowner, too.
- Do not sign a contract with blank areas to be filled later by the contractor.
- Carefully read all contracts and do not sign them if they are not readily understandable. If there are questions, contact a lawyer for assistance.
- Do not be rushed into signing a contract. The salesperson or contractor should willingly leave the contract with the Veteran so they can read it carefully on their own time. If anyone exerts pressure to sign immediately or is unwilling to leave a copy for review, it is a red flag.
One of the best ways we can honor a Veteran’s service is to protect their benefits against scams by raising awareness and keeping them informed about the common scams impacting Veterans with high SMC benefits, Purple Heart recipients and their dependents.
If a Veteran is missing a VA benefits payment, identifies a discrepancy in payments or finds suspicious activity with their direct deposit account, they should contact VA immediately at 800-827-1000. Veterans who suspect they have experienced fraud can find resources to file a report to the appropriate agency at VSAFE.gov, by visiting https://vsafe.gov/, or calling 833-38V-SAFE.
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Good job, keep it up!!!
I’m a 100% Disable Veteran from Agent Orange that gave me Diabetes in 1992 then in 2009 I had a Doctor at the Oklahoma VA Hospital in OKC that never told me when I ask him how my blood work was today in 2009 in Janurary and he said it was OK! Then in April he said the same thing after my second blood work was done, he said it was OK! Then in July he said the same lie again it was OK! Then in October I had appointment an AO Examiner Cheryl Larson who was going over my health record s and she look at me and said who was my Doctor and I told her his name, and she pick up the phone and called someone downstairs and screamed “This man is never to see Mr. Englund again and she scream so loud over the phone that I said Oh no! what is going on and she told me that my blood counts and other things were bad also! Well, I had RADICAL PROSTATE CANCER FROM AGENT ORANGE! In December 3,2010 I had to go to the ER with bad chest pains around my heart! Then they put me on a gurney and roll me out into the hallway to the Cath room Well they left me in the hallway on the gurney for 45 minutes while I could hear them in the room talking about what Christmas Party, they were going to that nigh! While I was having those bad chest pains! Then after the Cath was done, they said it was a very small blockage that wasn’t bad!!!! Well, 6 days later I ended up in the Heart Hospital in OKC and I ended up with ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASE!!! ALL THIS FROM AGENT ORANGE AND BAD SO-CALLED VA DOCTORS!
I noticed an increase in telephone calls asking for donations and gifts weeks before I received my formal notification that I had been awarded SMC benefits. It was almost like the callers had insider information about my award before I was told that I had received the money. Later I realized that the rulings of the VA Appeals Board and VA Appeals Judges are public records open to good and bad operators.
It would have been nice to have gotten notice from the VA before all the trolls were given the opportunity to go on the offensive. Prevention is always better than remediation.
My brother was an Viet Nam active duty Army Specialist during his tours in Viet Nam, in which he was granted a Purple Heart and I believe a bronze Star for his service. His name was Robert A. Garrison, born in Three Rivers, MI. He was honorably discharged following his two tours in Nam. Following his discharge, he returned to MI where he recovered from his injuries and worked as a home builder in Three Rivers. MI. He Ventured into private aircraft Becoming a successful pilot and began his own avionics aircraft maintenance Career, ultimately owning, renting and leasing Numerous aircraft to support his love for hunting and flying into many hunting expeditions into Alaska an all over the USA. His favorite aircraft was his pride & joy a Beechcraft Baron twin engine turboprop 7 seater. His BeechCraft Baron was parked in one of his Elkhart aircraft hangars along with several of his other aircraft. He piloted a friend’s identical Baron on a hunting expedition to Kodiak Alaska it upon Brit return flight back to his home airport, he found himself doubting the maintenance history of his friend’s aircraft compound fed with probably the most treacherous heavy dense fog that provide zero visibility, only a professional pilot could safely land using instrument only as his only available tools to bring the aircraft into the runway taxiway area. However, his doubts about the aircraft’s maintenance history forced him to “ride the Glide Scope all the way down” following his clearance to leave airspace at the South Bend IN Airport to check into Elkhart IN tower, who cleared him for his final approach and landing using Instruments only. Upon final approach, the Tower COMM recorded he was cleared to land, then his final words, Oh Shit. and radio silence thereafter. My brother piloting that aircraft, and the other front seat passenger were both killed instantly upon Impact into a heavily wooded area just connecting the edge of the airport flight path fence. Ironically the NTSB had cited this airport to remove and trim those high growing trees sitting adjacent to the airport runway fenced area a couple months, prior, but that did not happen. Even more Ironic was the NTSB accident review board that contributed the trees as part of the cause, they also assessed my brother’s piloting such an aircraft in such zero visibility conditions s as partly negligent. They cited that the “GlideScope” and numerous other avionic’s instrument boxes were not located near the crash site, given the fact that so much of the rear instrument fuselage area was completely torn away and especially the glidescope was not recovered or found by the NTSB during their investigation to verify if it was in calibration or not or even the status of many of the other instruments. The single rear seated passenger did survive the crash with two broken legs, cruises, etc. I believe was reported. So bottom line here was that after my Brother’s tragic fatality and his death and funeral. My mother mentioned he had this really neat heart shaped golden colored medal with George Washington’s face that was provided to my brother following his Viet Nam service. My father, a WW2 Japanese war veteran passed away about 8 years later. My mom just passed away in June, 2024, my brother’s only daughter and previous wife also passed away, leaving me as the last surviving immediate family member. Know one seems to know where my brother’s Viet Nam Service combat medals are located or exactly what they were? I know he mentioned to me many years ago back in about 1970-1972 that he had taken a bullet during some jungle skirmishes, as he described them but swore an oath to never tell anyone e so that our mother would not have to worry about what he went through. Yep this is my same brother who came home from two assignments in NAM that told me to go enlist in the Navy, Coast Guard or AirForce, before my time ran out with an Inevitable County wide draft Number of #3 for active duty call up.
Yeah I would like to get his medal to hand down to his grandsons in memory of Grandpa Bob.
If applying for benefit ‘s from a veteran, and are his beneficiary when using the clinic when is the appropriate time to apply your housing vash . Do you wait after they submit the housebound claim and go through the clinic for rating. And does have to taken to administrative order first? Or can you use valor when filing the Social security parts to retire to turn it in to the housing program? I have a child I am going to apply for Social security , and a younger son in school. Champva is that apply to all four of my children and if she returns to school , is she entitled to ship? Thank you Missy
Good evening I am a oef veteran and I have a 100%pnt rating I am dealing with traumatizing bullying in my special awarded home and I feel trapped in getting help to hire protection are there any resources that would help ?
Call 833-38V-SAFE for help.
What is the “PLL” cited in one of today’s associated articles? regarding scammers??
[Editor: PII is personally identifiable information, such as DOB, SSN, and to some extent, contact information.]