"The pilots who have had their records examined are military veterans who informed the Federal Aviation Administration that they were suitable to fly, but didn't disclose that they were also receiving veterans benefits for various disabilities that could prevent them from effectively sitting in a pilot's seat."
This is just my anecdotal observations, but I've seen that military veterans are extremely adept at gaming the system to their benefit. They are able to maximize disability benefits as well as GI Bill benefits. I've known and worked with multiple veterans and each one of them gamed these systems to maximum benefit. It also appeared that they coached each other on how to obtain maximum benefit.
With that said, I wouldn't be surprised if the health issues in this article were largely exaggerated specifically for the purpose of maximizing benefits.
This is just my anecdotal observations, but I've seen that military veterans are extremely adept at gaming the system to their benefit. They are able to maximize disability benefits as well as GI Bill benefits. I've known and worked with multiple veterans and each one of them gamed these systems to maximum benefit. It also appeared that they coached each other on how to obtain maximum benefit.
With that said, I wouldn't be surprised if the health issues in this article were largely exaggerated specifically for the purpose of maximizing benefits.