A former Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employee from California has been indicted for allegedly helping veterans fraudulently obtain disability benefits.
Daniel Rikkels, 55, of Chula Vista, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Nov. 14 for crimes he purportedly committed as a VA employee who formerly reviewed and approved disability claims.
The 33-count indictment claims that since 2020, he knowingly and intentionally instructed veterans to provide false, exaggerated and misleading disability claims of service-related injuries to support such claims. He also allegedly instructed veterans to alter documents submitted during the claims process.
The alleged false claims led to veterans fraudulently obtaining millions of dollars in VA disability payments and backpay, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of California, with Rikkels himself receiving millions of dollars in payments.
“The Department of Veterans Affairs and the VA disability system serve a crucial role in providing support and care to those who have served and sacrificed in defense of our country,” U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said in a statement. “We will zealously safeguard the integrity of the VA disability program and will investigate and prosecute those who attempt to undermine the system to their own financial advantage.”
The case was investigated by the VA Office of the Inspector General and the FBI. Military.com reached out to the Department of Justice for comment.
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