Consider a tale of two Army veterans. Jeff served two terms as an infantry soldier in Afghanistan, moved home to the Midwest, graduated from college and landed a secure job in a utilities firm. Matt fought alongside Jeff, left the Army at the same time and headed home to North Carolina. By the time he was in his 30s, though, Matt was unemployed and dependent on government checks.
Why did Jeff thrive while Matt lost his civilian footing? The answer, according to Daniel M. Gade, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, and Daniel Huang, a former Wall Street Journal reporter, is the Department of Veterans Affairs—in particular, its robust disability system. “Economists have known for decades that disability insurance benefits create a disincentive to work,” they write in “Wounding Warriors.” “Rather than foster resilience, the VA is responsible for breeding passivity.”
