VA’s DBQ Fraud Tool: What Veterans Need To Know

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During a February 2026 House subcommittee meeting, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced they were developing an automated tool to scan disability benefits questionnaires (DBQs) for signs of fraud. While VA has assured veterans that no claim will be reduced or denied solely because of this tool, the system has raised concerns about due process and the risk of sweeping legitimate claims into a fraud review pipeline.

In this article, you will learn the details about VA’s DBQ fraud tool and the implications that observers say it may have for veterans and their disability claims moving forward.

Key points of this article include:

• VA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) estimates that 69 percent of a sample of completed claims contained at least one fraud risk indicator.
• OIG has said that only about 3.7 percent of active OIG fraud investigations actually target veterans — the main target is external bad actors with predatory business practices (e.g., selling fraudulent evidence). But investigations can still disrupt claims.
• VA has said that its new fraud tool will only flag newly submitted DBQs — VA has said it will not reopen previously finalized claims.

What Is VA’s Proposed DBQ Fraud Tool?

“In February, a Veterans Benefits Administration official told Congress that VA was building a data analytics tool, specifically a Microsoft Power BI platform that would scan more than a million DBQs going back to 2010,” says Bradley Hennings, partner at CCK Law.

According to VA, this new data analytics tool is intended to scan DBQs for indicators of potential fraud on the part of a veteran or, more commonly, an external bad actor. If a DBQ is flagged by the tool, VA officials will investigate the corresponding disability claim, and perhaps even order the veteran to undergo a new Compensation & Pension (C&P) exam to ensure no fraud has taken place.

During a February, 2026, Congressional hearing about disability assistance, VA Deputy Executive Director James W. Smith II, some of these fraud risk indicators might consist of when “you could see where the DBQ may have been altered, or the information that’s required in the signature block is missing, or the examiner’s address is greater than 100 miles from where the veteran lives.”

Smith also said that claims had been scanned for indicators like these back to 2010, and that the tool will likely be ready for use sometime in fiscal year 2026.

Following the subcommittee meeting, many veterans and advocates expressed concern about how such a tool could impact claims and existing ratings. VA has since offered two key clarifications:

• In terms of fraud investigations, the tool is “forward-looking only” — it will flag newly submitted DBQs, not reprocess previously finalized claims. The analysis of older data is currently being used only to prepare the tool.
• VA has stated the tool is “not an AI tool in the traditional sense.”

Why Is VA Deploying the DBQ Fraud Tool?

“A January 2024 VA Inspector General report reviewed a sample of roughly 31,900 completed claims and estimated about 69 percent contained at least one fraud risk indicator,” says Bradley Hennings. “VA’s OIG had already issued a fraud alert in 2023 warning veterans about predatory unaccredited companies that charge high fees and, in some cases, fabricate or inflate medical evidence. That is the sort of problem that VA has an obligation to address.”

In September 2023, 31 members of Congress sent a letter to VA expressing concern about an apparent increase in the number of parties attempting to illegally profit from veterans involved in the disability claims process. The letter noted that in 2022 alone, there were over 150,000 FTC complaints about fraud and illegal business practices targeting veterans, resulting in over $414 million in reported monetary harm that year. Another letter in December 2025 with over 40 Congressional signatories — citing a recent NPR investigation — renewed these concerns.

VA’s intention in deploying this analytics tool may be to help combat these fraudulent third parties, not to necessarily make the disability claims process harder for veterans. For instance, VA’s OIG has testified that only about 3.7 percent of its active compensation fraud investigations target veterans.

CCK Law Partner Maura Black unpacks a VA OIG report on DBQ fraud:

How Could The DBQ Fraud Tool Impact VA Disability Claims?

Veterans and advocates have requested clarity about how the implementation of the tool might make it harder for veterans to earn and maintain disability benefits.

What Is the “100-Mile” Flag?

The “100-mile” flag is one potential indicator of fraud that Deputy Executive Director Smith mentioned in his address to Congress. Per his words, it is possible VA’s new fraud tool will flag DBQs where a medical provider is located more than 100 miles from the veteran’s address.

This means that VA appears to be treating geographic distance as a potential indicator of a pre-arranged or fraudulent medical examination. But this may not always be the case.

“There are real reasons a veteran sees a provider who is not around the corner,” says Hennings. “Specialists, telehealth, rural veterans who must drive hours for qualified care. A geographic proximity trigger standing alone does not tell you much about the integrity of the evidence. It tells you something, though, about the veteran’s access to medical resources.”

According to 2025 data from VA Health Systems Research, “nearly a quarter (4.4 million) of U.S. veterans live in rural communities.”

In other words, if this 100-mile rule is not implemented properly, it could end up flagging the DBQs of veterans who simply have more limited access to health care. This could end up specifically impacting rural veterans, a group for which VA has worked to expand access in recent years.

Is Due Process a Concern?

The announcement of this tool has also raised questions regarding veterans’ due process rights in light of VA’s attempts to crack down on fraud.

“Senate Bill 3000, the Fraud in VA Disability Exams Act, would prohibit VA from changing a final rating decision unless there has been an actual criminal conviction,” says Hennings. “VA has not embraced that framework. The result is that VA wants the authority to flag claims algorithmically and order new exams without a clear statutory obligation to the veteran before acting. A pattern match is not proof of fraud.” As of May 2026, Senate Bill 3000 has been introduced but has not yet passed the Senate.

Is the Scope of the Investigation Too Broad?

One of the biggest controversies surrounding this tool is whether the sheer volume of DBQs being reviewed could lead to the disability claims of innocent veterans being automatically flagged and delayed for investigation without sufficient investigation or evidence.

Should Veterans Be Concerned About the DBQ Fraud Tool?

Because the tool has not yet been deployed, it is unclear what effect it will ultimately have on the disability claims process.

Based on the words of VA officials, however, it seems unlikely that veterans with existing ratings or legitimate claims will face serious or adverse consequences solely as a result of the tool’s use. (Note that actual fraud is always grounds for VA to reduce or revoke ratings, among other repercussions.) VA has stated clearly that the tool is meant to identify patterns for further review — not to automatically reduce or deny benefits.

That said, veterans with pending claims that include a private DBQ may want to take practical steps to ensure their claim proceeds smoothly. A fully documented claim with strong supporting evidence may increase protection against any downstream fraud-review inquiry.

If your claim includes a private DBQ, Hennings suggests the following:

• Double-check that your DBQ is fully completed and signed by your provider.
• Make sure the DBQ is supported by your treatment records.
• If VA asks you to attend a new C&P exam, attend it.
• If you have concerns about how this may affect your claim, consult with a VA-accredited attorney.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a DBQ and why does it matter for VA disability claims?

A disability benefits questionnaire (DBQ) is a standardized medical form that a health care provider fills out to document a veteran’s service-connected condition. Veterans submit DBQs as medical evidence to support their VA disability claims. They are a legitimate (and often critical) part of the evidence record.

Will VA’s DBQ fraud tool be used on DBQs for older disability claims?

No, this currently (May 2026) seems unlikely. VA has stated that the tool is “forward-looking only,” meaning it is intended to flag newly submitted DBQs rather than reopen or reprocess previously finalized claims.

VA’s initial announcement suggested the platform would review DBQs going back to 2010, which alarmed many veterans. VA has since walked that back, but how the tool is applied in practice remains to be seen.

Can VA reduce a rating based on a fraud flag?

No, VA spokespeople have told various publications that “no veteran’s claim or benefit will be reduced or denied because of this effort.”

Instead, a potential fraud risk flagged by the tool would only trigger further review, rather than an automatic decision on the claim or benefits.