Blind Fraud: Kentucky Vet Gets 2 Years for VA Scam

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Phillip M. Henderson, 51, of Olive Hill, Kentucky, is trading his claimed blindness for bars after a federal jury convicted him of defrauding the Veterans Health Administration (VA) out of a staggering $789,472. Henderson was sentenced today to two years in federal prison by Chief United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers, a punishment reflecting the brazen nature of his decade-spanning scheme.

The five-day trial revealed Henderson, an Army veteran who served from 1983 to 1986, began filing claims for benefits in 1995, ultimately receiving a diagnosis of Retinitis Pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease potentially leading to total blindness. But the diagnosis became a lucrative fiction. For nearly two decades, Henderson repeatedly feigned severe vision loss during VA examinations, manipulating tests that relied entirely on his honesty. Witnesses – including four medical doctors – testified Henderson actively pretended he could barely read eye charts and exaggerated the limitations of his peripheral vision.

The scheme wasn’t limited to monthly disability checks. From 1996 to 2015, Henderson raked in approximately $697,000 in disability compensation alone. He also secured an $11,000 grant in 2006 to purchase a vehicle, ostensibly for someone else to drive him, and a further $10,000 for an in-ground swimming pool, justified as a therapeutic tool for a blind veteran. Crucially, Henderson concealed the fact that he held a valid Kentucky driver’s license – and actively used it – driving a vehicle while claiming complete reliance on others for transportation. He received maximum healthcare benefits for himself and his family, a level of care reserved for those with the most severe disabilities.

The VA showered Henderson with perks: prioritized medical treatment, free medical and dental services, free prescriptions, reimbursement for travel to appointments, extensive training in Connecticut and Alabama, and a suite of assistive devices – canes, computers, talking telephones, even night vision goggles – all obtained under false pretenses. Prosecutors presented evidence demonstrating Henderson knowingly and intentionally exploited the system designed to care for those who truly sacrificed for this country. He wasn’t merely seeking assistance; he was systematically robbing the VA – and by extension, his fellow veterans – of vital resources.

The investigation, spearheaded by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs – Office of Inspector General, Pittsburgh Resident Agency, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, uncovered a pattern of calculated deception. Assistant United States Attorneys Eumi Choi and Jennifer Rada Herrald successfully prosecuted the case, securing a conviction after just one hour of jury deliberation. Judge Chambers ordered Henderson to pay $789,472 in restitution, a paltry sum considering the years of abuse. While Henderson sits in prison, the VA is left to grapple with the damage caused by his greed and the erosion of trust he fostered.

This case serves as a stark reminder that those who prey on the generosity of programs intended for our nation’s heroes will be held accountable. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on any further developments. Follow us on Twitter: SDWVNews