A new study finds that average disability payments from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs increase by nearly 40% over a 14-year period. All three outlets report the same core result: average VA disability payments climb close to 40% during that span. The study’s authors note that the period includes high rates of military deployments, which they say can affect disability claims and payment outcomes. In other words, the rise is presented as a broad trend over time, with the researchers acknowledging deployment tempo as one factor that may help explain changes in average payments. The reporting does not attribute the increase to a single policy change or provide specific breakdowns by disability category in the excerpts provided. Overall, the articles focus on the measured increase in average payments and the authors’ explanation that elevated deployments during the timeframe could be relevant to why the averages moved upward.