For one U.S. Army soldier-turned-contractor, the lure of a processed lemon poppy seed poundcake seemingly proved too tempting to resist.
Joseph Lavar Davis, 47, was convicted of stealing over $1.1 million worth of the military’s pre-packaged Meals-Ready-to-Eat, or MREs, in El Paso, Texas, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Texas, said Tuesday, in a scheme involving three other co-defendants and more than 200 pallets of the shelf-stable rations.
MREs, typically sealed in distinctive brown branding, are used to feed troops basic nutrients in austere situations and training exercises.
Known for their energy content as opposed to their taste, the emergency rations can be eaten hot or cold and are notorious for producing foul flatulence and blocked bowels — oftentimes contributing to the MRE’s other moniker of Meal, Refusing to Exit.
According to a statement from the office, the group used false paperwork to acquire MREs from Fort Bliss and Davis created false requests, rented vehicles to move the calorically dense provisions, fixed prices and collected compensation in the operation.
The FBI and Army Criminal Investigation Division agents executed a search warrant on a civilian warehouse in August 2020 and found scores of pallets of MREs that an investigation showed was a holding facility for a company that purchased the rations from people who had pillaged them from Fort Bliss, the statement said.
Davis was named in the February 2025 indictment — along with the three others — for conspiracy to commit theft of government property and a substantive count of theft of government property between Feb. 4, 2020, and Aug. 12, 2020.
The office said that Davis learned the Army’s food procurement process while working in food service supply in the service. When he retired, the statements said, he got a job as a civilian contractor in a similar position.
“Joseph Davis betrayed the very country he once swore to protect in an effort to satisfy his own selfish ambition and a jury of his peers held him accountable for it,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons.
Military Times contacted the Army for details regarding Davis’ time in service, but had not received a response as of publication.
For one U.S. Army soldier-turned-contractor, the lure of a processed lemon poppy seed poundcake seemingly proved too tempting to resist.
Joseph Lavar Davis, 47, was convicted of stealing over $1.1 million worth of the military’s pre-packaged Meals-Ready-to-Eat, or MREs, in El Paso, Texas, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Texas, said Tuesday, in a scheme involving three other co-defendants and more than 200 pallets of the shelf-stable rations.
MREs, typically sealed in distinctive brown branding, are used to feed troops basic nutrients in austere situations and training exercises.
Known for their energy content as opposed to their taste, the emergency rations can be eaten hot or cold and are notorious for producing foul flatulence and blocked bowels — oftentimes contributing to the MRE’s other moniker of Meal, Refusing to Exit.
According to a statement from the office, the group used false paperwork to acquire MREs from Fort Bliss and Davis created false requests, rented vehicles to move the calorically dense provisions, fixed prices and collected compensation in the operation.
The FBI and Army Criminal Investigation Division agents executed a search warrant on a civilian warehouse in August 2020 and found scores of pallets of MREs that an investigation showed was a holding facility for a company that purchased the rations from people who had pillaged them from Fort Bliss, the statement said.
Davis was named in the February 2025 indictment — along with the three others — for conspiracy to commit theft of government property and a substantive count of theft of government property between Feb. 4, 2020, and Aug. 12, 2020.
The office said that Davis learned the Army’s food procurement process while working in food service supply in the service. When he retired, the statements said, he got a job as a civilian contractor in a similar position.
“Joseph Davis betrayed the very country he once swore to protect in an effort to satisfy his own selfish ambition and a jury of his peers held him accountable for it,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons.
Military Times contacted the Army for details regarding Davis’ time in service, but had not received a response as of publication.
For one U.S. Army soldier-turned-contractor, the lure of a processed lemon poppy seed poundcake seemingly proved too tempting to resist.
Joseph Lavar Davis, 47, was convicted of stealing over $1.1 million worth of the military’s pre-packaged Meals-Ready-to-Eat, or MREs, in El Paso, Texas, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Texas, said Tuesday, in a scheme involving three other co-defendants and more than 200 pallets of the shelf-stable rations.
MREs, typically sealed in distinctive brown branding, are used to feed troops basic nutrients in austere situations and training exercises.
Known for their energy content as opposed to their taste, the emergency rations can be eaten hot or cold and are notorious for producing foul flatulence and blocked bowels — oftentimes contributing to the MRE’s other moniker of Meal, Refusing to Exit.
According to a statement from the office, the group used false paperwork to acquire MREs from Fort Bliss and Davis created false requests, rented vehicles to move the calorically dense provisions, fixed prices and collected compensation in the operation.
The FBI and Army Criminal Investigation Division agents executed a search warrant on a civilian warehouse in August 2020 and found scores of pallets of MREs that an investigation showed was a holding facility for a company that purchased the rations from people who had pillaged them from Fort Bliss, the statement said.
Davis was named in the February 2025 indictment — along with the three others — for conspiracy to commit theft of government property and a substantive count of theft of government property between Feb. 4, 2020, and Aug. 12, 2020.
The office said that Davis learned the Army’s food procurement process while working in food service supply in the service. When he retired, the statements said, he got a job as a civilian contractor in a similar position.
“Joseph Davis betrayed the very country he once swore to protect in an effort to satisfy his own selfish ambition and a jury of his peers held him accountable for it,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons.
Military Times contacted the Army for details regarding Davis’ time in service, but had not received a response as of publication.
July is my birthday month, and it also marks seven years since I was invited to take over JourneyWoman in July 2019. At the time, I knew nothing about the travel industry. I had never written a travel article. I had never managed a website. I had never gone on an expedition ship or a group tour. All I had then — and now — was a passion for travel, a desire to empower women and a love of writing. Those things are still what guide me today, as I work through the process of reinventing my life.
Here’s what I’ve learned: when it comes to reinvention, you have to follow your heart, and you have to make your own rules. As women, we are often told that ‘this is how it’s done’. I’ve never followed the crowd or worried about what others are doing. With more than 35 years of career experience, I try to do what feels right for you and for us — our readers and community. I know that my values are what guide JourneyWoman. I know that Evelyn felt the same way, and I’m forever grateful to her daughter, Erica Ehm, for inviting me to carry on her mother’s legacy.
I’ve just returned from our JourneyWoman trip to Iceland with an adventurous group of women, including Diana Eden, 86, our 2026 JourneyWoman Evelyn Hannon Award recipient. Diana and I spent a week together exploring the less-travelled Westfjords with Aurora Expeditions.
Diana is a wonderful example of reinvention, this month’s theme. A three-time Emmy nominee for her costume design work in Hollywood, Diana has designed numerous prime-time television series, movies, pilots, as well as stage productions in Los Angeles and New York. Her ‘so-called’ retirement and move in 2008 to Las Vegas brought her more costume design for films and stage shows and a professorship at UNLV (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) teaching tomorrow’s filmmakers about costume for film. She’s also written two memoirs. She’s an inspiration to me, and I hope to you too!
In this issue of JourneyWoman Magazine, we seek to challenge conventional thinking on reinvention as a lifelong journey, celebrate women’s stories and gather inspiration from other women who have been there, done that – their own way, on their own terms.
Diana Eden and Carolyn Ray in Iceland
We also invite you to share your story with us so that we can share it in Smitten, our bi-monthly newsletter that curates all the things we love and recommend. Smitten is issued twice a month on Monday mornings and features “Meet a JourneyWoman” and curated, first-hand travel tips and exclusive travel deals. Everyone published in Smitten receives a complimentary annual subscription. Click here to join.
The Air Force is hitting refresh on electromagnetic warfare with its first new electronic attack aircraft in forty years. The EA-37B Compass Call is a modified business jet that some experts are already calling a “game changer” thanks to its speed, range, high service ceiling, and ability to upgrade quickly to keep pace with new technology.
But at the same time, other experts warn that the service will need more Compass Calls than the Air Force plans on buying to meet the challenges of the invisible battlefield.
An EA-37B Compass Call prepares to raise its door before flight at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, Aug. 28, 2024. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Andrew Garavito
Cat-and-mouse
One of the earliest examples of electromagnetic warfare emerged in 1904, when Russia jammed Japanese radio signals coordinating the shelling of Port Arthur. It’s been a cat-and-mouse game ever since: as new technologies for radar, communication and navigation crop up, so do new ways of jamming, spoofing, or otherwise messing with them.
During Desert Storm, Air Force EF-111A Ravens and Navy and Marine Corps EA-6B Prowlers jammed enemy air defenses to clear the way for strike aircraft. Though often overshadowed by fighters and bombers, the Navy wrote that electromagnetic jamming, also called defense suppression, was “critical to the success of all aviation missions” during the Gulf War, and “If Navy defense suppression wasn’t available, the missions didn’t fly.”
Today, the cat-and-mouse game is faster than ever. As described in a 2023 report by the RAND Corporation, advanced radar systems can adjust their waveforms, power, and sensitivity to become much more difficult to spot, or shift rapidly between “never-before-seen waveforms.”
This is playing out in Ukraine. Bryan Clark, an electronic warfare expert and senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, told Task & Purpose that Ukrainian troops are using software-defined radios to maneuver through the electromagnetic spectrum.
“They’re very versatile when it comes to changing the waveforms and frequencies, which allows you to be more capable of circumventing jamming,” he said. “And if you’re jamming, you can hunt for the signals you’re trying to jam more effectively.”
An Air Force EC-130H Compass Call prepares for in-flight refueling over the Gulf of Mexico, Dec. 3, 2020. A U.S. Air Force EC-130H Compass Call from the 55th Wing prepares for in-flight refueling from a 155th Air Refueling Wing KC-135 Stratotanker during exercise Emerald Flag over the Gulf of Mexico, Dec. 3, 2020. (Staff Sgt. Joshua Hoskins/U.S. Air Force)
Compass calling
The EA-37B is replacing the EC-130H, which flew over the Middle East practically non-stop through the Global War on Terror. EC-130H crews used radio signals to track down insurgents and disable remote-controlled improvised explosives.
But the Pentagon is preparing for a possible fight with China across the vast Pacific Ocean. The EC-130H may not have the speed or range to help, and its low ceiling of 25,000 feet means it can’t throw signals very far to touch enemy systems.
The EA-37B can fly about twice as far, fast and high as its predecessor. The bulges on the side of the fuselage house transmit antennas and amplifiers that boost its power, letting the jet hit targets farther away than smaller platforms such as the Navy’s EA-18G Growler.
The Air Force is also developing a software system that will let Compass Call crews quickly update their electronic warfare programs in response to new threats.
The first EA-37B arrived in August, 2024, and the fleet grew to five by May 2025. It’s already a combat veteran, having taken part in Operation Epic Fury earlier this year.
An EA-37B Compass Call takes its first official flight at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, Aug. 28, 2024. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Andrew Garavito
But is it enough?
In its 2027 budget request, the Air Force bumped its request for 12 EA-37Bs up to 22 aircraft through 2031, nearly double the original ask. But given the size of the Pacific and the worldwide demand for electronic attack, some say that may not be enough. Heather Penney, an airpower expert at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, said on a recent podcast that the Air Force probably needs upwards of 30 aircraft to meet demand.
On the other hand, Clark warned that as air defenses become more formidable, EA-37Bs may soon become obsolete.
There is plenty of grey between peace and war, and the electromagnetic spectrum allows superpowers to poke each other without turning buildings into rubble. This was a big part of the Cold War, wherein U.S. aircrews gathered electronic intelligence on the Soviet Union for decades. The EA-37B may play a similar role.
“If anything, the electromagnetic spectrum has become more challenged over time,” Col. Scott Mills, then-commander of the 355th Wing at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, said when the EA-37B first arrived there in 2024. “We need an asset that can meet that challenge today. We have that with the arrival of the EA-37B.”
We have even more about the EA-37B and why it’s so important for modern warfare over on our YouTube channel, which you can check out here.
Exclusive: Sen. Jerry Moran tells Military.com why he believes the Taking Care of America’s Veterans Act has been widely misunderstood, and why he says current veterans would not lose benefits under the proposal.
According to the Veterans Benefits Administration Annual Benefits Report for Fiscal Year 2025, nearly 1.85 million veterans now receive compensation at the 100% disability level. That’s an increase of 299,607 veterans, or 19.4%, in just one year. Today, almost 3 out of every 10 veterans receiving VA compensation have a 100% VA disability rating.
That doesn’t mean the VA has lowered its standards or that getting a 100% rating is easy, but it does suggest something important has changed.
Over the past several years, more veterans have become aware of the benefits they’ve earned. The PACT Act expanded eligibility for many toxic exposure claims, and more veterans are pursuing secondary service connection, requesting rating increases when disabilities worsen, and submitting stronger medical evidence.
Whether you’re filing your first claim or wondering if your current VA disability rating still reflects your health today, understanding these trends can help you make more informed decisions about your own benefits.
Summary of Key Points
Nearly 1.85 million veterans now receive a 100% VA disability rating, an increase of 299,607 veterans (19.4%) compared to the previous year.
Veterans rated at 100% now make up more than 29% of everyone receiving VA disability compensation, making it the largest combined disability rating category.
The growth reflects several long-term trends, including expanded eligibility through the PACT Act, more secondary service connection claims, and veterans seeking increases as service-connected conditions worsen over time.
While more veterans are receiving 100% ratings, the legal standards for disability ratings haven’t changed. Strong medical evidence and documentation remain the foundation of every successful claim.
Table of Contents
The Myth of the “Impossible” 100% Rating
For many veterans, the idea of receiving a 100% VA disability rating felt out of reach.
Some assumed it was reserved only for catastrophic combat injuries or those with a single, life-changing disability.
The latest VBA data challenges that perception.
Today, 1,847,449 veterans receive compensation at the 100% level, making it the largest combined disability rating category in the entire VA compensation system.
That’s a remarkable change, and it didn’t happen because of relaxed VA standards. Compared to even 10 years ago, today’s disability system looks very different.
More veterans are filing claims.
More veterans are identifying secondary conditions.
More veterans qualify under expanded presumptive rules.
More veterans are seeking increases when their service-connected disabilities worsen over time.
The result is a disability system where reaching a 100% schedular rating is no longer the rare exception many people once believed it to be.
A 100% Rating Doesn’t Usually Mean One Severe Disability
Another common misconception is that every veteran with a 100% rating has one catastrophic injury.
In reality, many veterans reach a schedular 100% rating through a combination of multiple service-connected conditions.
For example, someone might have service-connected:
Individually, none of those conditions may be rated at 100%, but when the VA combines disability ratings using its unique formula, often called “VA math,” the combined evaluation can reach 100%.
Understanding how combined ratings work is important because many veterans underestimate how close they already are to reaching the next rating level.
Pro Tip: Quickly calculate your monthly VA disability compensation with our easy-to-use VA Disability Calculator.
100% VA Disability Statistics: 100% Now the Largest Disability Rating Category
One of the most surprising findings in the VBA report is how the number of veterans receiving a 100% rating compares to every other combined disability rating.
Today, there are significantly more veterans rated 100% than there are at 90%, 80%, or 70%.
Combined VA Disability Rating
Veterans Receiving Compensation
100%
1,847,449
90%
679,688
80%
627,300
70%
562,930
60%
450,286
That makes the 100% category the single largest combined disability rating in the VA compensation system.
This wasn’t always the case.
As awareness of VA benefits has grown, and as more veterans have developed additional service-connected conditions over time, the distribution of disability ratings has changed dramatically.
Why Are More Veterans Receiving a 100% VA Disability Rating?
Rather than one major policy change, the increase in 100% ratings is likely the result of multiple factors.
Let’s take a closer look at a few of the biggest:
1. The PACT Act Expanded Eligibility for Millions of Veterans
The law expanded eligibility for many veterans exposed to toxic substances during military service by adding new presumptive conditions and broadening recognition of toxic exposure.
For many veterans, that meant finally receiving service connection for conditions that had previously been denied or difficult to prove.
Once service connection is established, additional secondary conditions may also become eligible for compensation if they’re medically linked to the primary disability.
The result is a growing number of veterans entering or re-entering the disability compensation system.
2. Veterans Are Identifying More Secondary Service-Connected Conditions
Another major shift is education.
Twenty years ago, many veterans filed claims only for the injuries they experienced while serving.
Today, there’s greater awareness that service-connected disabilities can lead to additional medical conditions later in life.
For example, a veteran with a service-connected knee injury may later develop hip problems or chronic back pain because of altered gait mechanics.
Someone living with PTSD may also develop depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, migraines, or gastrointestinal issues.
Those secondary conditions can be compensable when supported by medical evidence and a nexus connecting them to an existing service-connected disability.
3. Service-Connected Disabilities Often Get Worse Over Time
Another reason more veterans are reaching a 100% VA disability rating is simply the reality of aging with service-connected disabilities.
Many conditions naturally progress over time. What started as manageable pain or mild symptoms during your military service may become significantly more limiting years later.
For example, it’s common for veterans to experience worsening:
Personal lay statements explaining how symptoms affect work and daily life
None of these guarantees approval, but they paint a more complete picture of how your service-connected conditions affect your life.
Does This Mean It’s Easier to Get a 100% VA Disability Rating Today?
No. The legal standards used to assign disability ratings haven’t suddenly become more lenient.
The VA still evaluates disabilities using the Schedule for Rating Disabilities (38 CFR Part 4), just as it has for decades.
So why are so many more veterans reaching 100%? Today, veterans often have:
Greater awareness of their earned benefits
More complete medical documentation
Additional secondary service-connected conditions
Expanded eligibility through laws like the PACT Act
Disabilities that have progressed over time
In other words, more veterans are qualifying because they meet the existing requirements, not because the requirements have changed. And that’s an important distinction.
What These Trends Could Mean for Your Own VA Disability Claim
The numbers in the VBA report are interesting, but what do they mean for your own situation?
While you may not be pursuing a 100% rating, your disability rating should accurately reflect the severity of your service-connected conditions today.
Here are a few questions worth asking yourself:
Have your service-connected conditions worsened since your last VA rating decision?
Have you developed new conditions that may be secondary to an existing service-connected disability?
Are all your current symptoms documented in your medical records?
Do you understand how the VA combines disability ratings?
If you answered “yes” to any of those questions (or “no” to the last one), it may be worth reviewing your current disability ratings and the evidence supporting them.
Your biggest opportunity could be making sure your existing claims accurately reflect your current level of disability.
Don’t Compare Your Rating to Someone Else’s
The surge in 100% ratings doesn’t mean everyone has the same path.
Two veterans with the same diagnosis may receive different ratings because of differences in:
Symptom severity
Medical evidence
Functional impairment
Applicable diagnostic codes
Instead of comparing your rating to someone else’s, focus on building the strongest evidence for your own.
Conclusion
The biggest takeaway from the FY2025 VBA Annual Benefits Report is that old assumptions about who qualifies for a high disability rating no longer tell the whole story.
The VA hasn’t changed its disability policies. It still requires veterans to provide a current diagnosis of a condition, evidence of an in-service event, and strong medical evidence and documentation that support the rating criteria and service connection.
What has changed is that more veterans are understanding the claims process, documenting secondary conditions, seeking increases when disabilities worsen, and taking advantage of expanded eligibility under laws like the PACT Act.
If you thought a 100% VA rating was out of reach, the latest data is a reminder that every claim deserves to be evaluated on its own merits.
While the goal isn’t to chase a certain percentage, it’s important that your VA disability rating accurately reflects how your service-connected conditions affect your life today.
YOU SERVED. YOU DESERVE.
You served. You earned the right to file. You earned the right to be heard. And you earned the right to pursue every VA benefit you legally qualify for.
So here is the real question:
Do you have the VA rating you were given, or the VA rating you truly deserve?
Want Expert-Level VA Claim Help? WE GOT YOUR SIX!
VA Claims Insider helps educate and empower veterans to get the VA rating they deserve.
Work directly with a VA Claims Insider Coach who can help lead you to VA claim victory.
50,000+ disabled veterans served in our membership programs since 2016.
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How many veterans have a 100% VA disability rating?
1,847,449 veterans receive compensation at the 100% disability level. That’s nearly 29.2% of everyone receiving VA disability compensation.
Why did the number of 100% VA disability ratings increase so much?
The VBA report doesn’t identify one specific cause, but several long-term trends likely contributed, including implementation of the PACT Act, expanded presumptive conditions, more secondary service connection claims, stronger medical evidence, and disabilities worsening over time.
Does the increase mean it’s easier to get a 100% VA disability rating?
No. The VA still evaluates disabilities under the same legal rating criteria. More veterans are reaching 100% because they’re meeting those criteria, not because the standards have been lowered.
Can you reach a 100% rating with multiple disabilities?
Yes. Many veterans receive a schedular 100% rating through a combination of service-connected disabilities rather than a single condition. The VA combines disability ratings using its own formula, often called “VA math.”
You can quickly calculate your monthly VA disability compensation with our easy-to-use VA Disability Calculator.
Can secondary conditions help you reach a 100% disability rating?
Yes. If a medical condition is caused or aggravated by an existing service-connected disability, it may qualify for secondary service connection. Additional compensable conditions can increase your combined disability rating when supported by medical evidence.
Should I apply for a rating increase if my condition has worsened?
If your service-connected disability has become more severe since your last rating decision, you may be eligible to request a VA rating increase. The VA will evaluate updated medical evidence to determine whether your current symptoms meet the criteria for a higher rating.
About the Author
Katie McCarthy
Katie McCarthy is a writer and editor with experience in daily news and digital and print magazine publishing. She honed her editorial (and firearms) skills at Guns & Ammo before helping launch Black Rifle Coffee Company’s Coffee or Die Magazine as the managing editor. She holds degrees in English (BA) and public administration (MPA). Katie is a military spouse and word nerd who enjoys reading, hiking, camping, gardening, and spending time with her family.
For many Americans, the nation’s 250th anniversary will center on July 4, 2026, and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In Yorktown, Virginia, local officials are asking visitors to look further down the road, to the battlefield where independence was secured years later.
A U.S. Navy aircrewman is missing after a helicopter carrying four crew members made an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea on Wednesday, the Navy said.
The MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter, assigned to the USS George H.W. Bush, had an emergency water landing at 3:30 a.m. EDT. While the cause of the emergency landing wasn’t immediately clear, the Navy said it did not appear to be the result of any hostile activity.
“Three of the helicopter’s four crew members have been recovered and are in stable condition aboard George H. W. Bush,” the Navy said. “U.S. Navy assets in the region are currently searching for other aircrewman still missing.”
The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
