Kinsley Kilpatrick put on a convincing show.
During visits to Atlanta VA Medical Center, the Iraq War veteran arrived in a wheelchair, claiming multiple sclerosis had paralyzed his arms and legs. By the time he turned 35, the onetime athlete said he could barely move from the neck down, leaving him dependent on others to eat, dress and bathe, according to court records.
Obligated to help a former soldier in need, the Department of Veterans Affairs began paying Kilpatrick $7,900 a month in tax-free disability benefits in 2015, the records show. The federal government also gave him $20,000 for a specially equipped Jeep Cherokee to make it easier for his wife to take him to medical appointments.
The hoax lasted for three years and might have continued indefinitely, if not for a whistleblower who sent VA proof that Kilpatrick was lying: videos of the Army veteran backflipping on a trampoline, prancing around a sports field like a ballerina and swan diving into a playground ball pit.
VA’s $193 billion disability program — one of the biggest line items in the federal budget — has become a rich target for fraudsters, according to a Washington Post investigation. Each year, the agency’s inspector general opens dozens of criminal cases into veterans like Kilpatrick who are suspected of faking injuries or illnesses for money.
But former officials said they suspect those cases represent only a fraction of the fraud that occurs. They said VA has failed to reckon with the full scope...
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