We can go ahead and chalk this up to "conspiracy theory" that perhaps later somebody will get around to proving is true. Regardless, it's true. Whenever it comes to the federal government doing shady and illegal shit to fuck over ordinary Americans, to include veterans, it's always true.
The military is purposefully putting up digital road blocks and circular loops, as has been practiced by horrible companies for some time now, in order to deny military retirees their benefits. Log in to check for a medical appointment one day, the next day you have to verify your identity using some insane metric. What do you mean you don't remember the correct image out of the hundreds you were told to select as part of your authentication? You don't remember picking that image, randomly given to you as though it was supposed to mean something memorably in a way the hundreds of other images didn't? Well, we don't know it's you anymore so you can't check your GI Bill benefits or log into the VA portal.
Never fret though, we have a "remote proofing" procedure we have established to figure out who you are. It's really simple. First, you take a picture of your passport or some non-military ID identification. Military ID, obviously, is the last form of identification to be used to determine you're retired military, duh. So throw in some State driver's license. Then, take a selfie. Press the submit button, we'll wait a minute, then we'll tell you that our system couldn't verify you. Maybe it was the lighting. You can try again. Once you've tried and failed four times, and you will, then you'll be locked out for a month. We have a phone number you may be able to find if you do some research. Don't forget to choose Option 7 and wait for nobody to answer.
According to this (I know, I know) Business Insider article, the DoD (led by the guy who thinks white supremacy is the biggest threat to America) has been hiring private companies (not Facebook or Twitter, different companies that come with the same plausible deniability) to perform "remote proofing." And, according to that article, at least one company has been purposefully ensuring retirees are unable to get verified in the system. While they suffer from medical ailments that need treatment.
HELP! I am trying to apply for health benefits as well as the financial benefits for my 90-year-old father who has Alzheimer's and is also a veteran. He is unable to do the application himself and ... I can't verify his identity through ID me.
While it appears that company has been replaced, the same methods are still being employed to deny American retirees their benefits. And this is a tactic that is being used by other government organizations also trying to save a buck when it comes to people's medical expenses.
While veteran suicides skyrocket and retirees die more quickly due to the purposeful roadblocks enacted by their government to ensure they can't timely access benefits that might assist them with burn pit ailments, you can be assured that this same government will be eyeing your retirement check even beyond what they've stolen from you through inflation.
To be fair though, if the government didn't get creative at stealing money from its own citizens, how would it be able to fund the pensions of those in Ukraine?