Daughter steals $300K in veteran benefits meant for her dead mom in Florida, feds say

A Florida woman is accused of stealing more than $300,000 of Veterans Affairs benefits meant for her mother, who died in 2005, according to officials.

The 65-year-old fraudulently represented her mother for nearly 19 years in order to keep receiving surviving spouse benefits under the VA’s Dependency and Indemnity Compensation program, according to a federal indictment filed Aug. 21.

The indictment also requests she returns the $338,364.

The program is a monthly, tax-free financial benefit for spouses, dependents and parents of service members who died in the line of duty or from a service-related injury or illness.

Under program rules, surviving spouses could receive benefits for the rest of their lives, but surviving children could only receive benefits if they’re under 18 years of age or 23 if attending school.

The woman’s mother began receiving benefits when her spouse died in 1996, officials said. However, when she died in 2005, her daughter was not eligible for the program, the indictment stated.

Not only did the woman intentionally fail to report her mom’s death to the VA to continue receiving these benefits, she also purported to be her mother in VA phone calls and by using a falsified signature in VA documents, per the indictment.

McClatchy News reached out to the VA and is awaiting a response.

The woman is charged with one count of wire fraud and could face up to 20 years in prison, according to officials.

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