Except your basic tenet. The fact is that the VA EXISTS to give money to or spend money on veterans. That’s not just their mission, that’s how they justify their budget. Back in the 70s and 80s, with their core clientele of WWII vets starting to age out of the system, they actively campaigned to be able to transition from an emphasis on physical disability to an emphasis on cardiac/vascular and psych (PTSD) stuff to keep their budget growing. They don’t CARE about the money, because a bigger budget line and more manpower authorizations is what lets you advance quicker - at all levels - in the civil service world. Nor does the FAA give a damn about most of what the VA compensates people for. Noise induced hearing loss is seldom bad enough to interfere with flying duties, H€|| wear an ANR headset and those folks will hear better in the cockpit than anywhere else. Same for orthopedic and lower back and most other wear and tear issues. Serious psych problems the FAA wants to know about though. And LYING on anything puts the accuracy of ALL of the pilot’s history in doubt.

But it ain’t about money. The VA will grab every dollar Congress will give them and spend every cent of it before midnight on the day the fiscal year ends, fearing that any left over surplus will mean they get less in the next appropriation cycle.