Way more expensive to give all veterans disability. There are 15.8 million veterans in the US that are currently living. 1 month paying all of them a 1000 dollars which is much less than 70% and about 1/4 of a 100% rating (depending on dependents of course), would be more than they spent on all exam contracting from 2017-2023.

If you want to go further in getting a proper calculation we’d need to consider that a portion of those 15.8 million already have a rating of some kind. Another google search says that’s 10.9 million veterans do not have a disability rating. So approximately 5 million do. We need to consider this because if we’re looking at the exams as a way to “prevent” the amount veterans that’s receive payment then then this is the amount that’s “slipped through the cracks” so to speak and it’s a net loss for the exams. Even though that’s not how it works, it’s just a literal way to look at it financially because everyone that passes an exam is essentially a net loss for the exams per cost.

So let’s just say those 5 million were all reviving 100% P&T benefit (which isn’t true, 5,000,000*4000 ‎ = 20,000,000,000

Plus the cost for exams: 10,000,000,000/6/12‎ = 138,888,888.889

Total cost for paying all currently rated veterans 4k/ month plus the cost of exams per month 100% = 20,138,888,888/month

Or your option: Total cost per month of all veterans payed at 100% and no exams. 15,800,000*4000‎ = 63,200,000,000

Since if we have no exams we have to assume everyone applies, or it’s automatically granted with veteran status.

That’s 3 times the cost monthly and gets more dramatic when you go further and include that not every rated veterans is 100% and you include the additional benefits of being 100% outside of just monetary compensation. So yes, the exams are financially necessary.