OSINT

VA Disability Benefits: Progress Made but VA Decisions on Veterans’ Claims Continue to Be Based, in Part, on Outdated Criteria

January 21, 2026 at 16:30Z
BIAS: Center
RELIABILITY: Very High

Political Bias Rating

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Far Left / Left: Progressive editorial perspective
Lean Left: Slightly progressive tendency
Center: Balanced, minimal editorial slant
Lean Right: Slightly conservative tendency
Right / Far Right: Conservative editorial perspective

Current source: Center

Reliability Rating

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Very High: Exceptional accuracy, rigorous sourcing
High: Strong factual reporting, minor issues rare
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Very Low: Unreliable, significant factual issues

Current source: Very High

GAO
17:27Z

What GAO Found In 2009, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) began a comprehensive effort to revise its disability rating schedule, which is criteria VA uses to determine veterans’ eligibility for disability compensation. This effort involves updating two sets of information. The first set—medical information—includes disabilities veterans may have, organized into 15 body systems.

The second set—earnings loss—is the average decrease in expected earnings caused by those disabilities. Medical information. As of December 2025, according to VA officials, VA has updated medical information for 11 of the 15 body systems and planned to complete updates for the remaining four systems in fiscal year 2026—10 years after its originally planned completion date.

Earnings loss information. Since May

Source Assessment

Political Bias
Center
Reliability
Very High

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