$3000 VA Stimulus Checks Payment [FAKE]: A recent announcement from the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) brings significant relief to millions of veterans across the United States, An inaccurate report and AI-generated search results contributed to the spread of false claims that the VA is distributing stimulus checks. In recent months, several VERIFY readers who receive government benefits have inquired about the possibility of receiving additional funds this year to help offset rising costs due to inflation.
A spokesperson from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) confirmed to VERIFY that there will be no stimulus check for eligible veterans in 2024. The confusion seems to have arisen from misleading reports regarding a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) that was implemented for veterans’ benefits at the beginning of the year.
The VA does not issue any form of stimulus to veterans According to the Internal Revenue Service, no one, including veterans, will receive a federal stimulus payment in 2024. Starting January 1, 2024, eligible veterans’ monthly benefits will increase by 3.2% due to the COLA adjustment.
Each year, the president signs legislation ensuring that veterans receive a compensation adjustment based on the cost of living. President Joe Biden signed the Veterans’ COLA Act of 2023 in June 2023. This law mandates the VA to provide a cost-of-living adjustment for veterans’ benefits that matches the COLA applied to Social Security benefits. The Social Security Administration adjusts benefit amounts annually to reflect inflation through a cost-of-living adjustment, which is not a stimulus payment.
How the wrong Information Circulated?
As generative artificial intelligence (AI) material has grown, so too have false promises of fresh stimulus checks, according to McKenzie Sadeghi, NewsGuard’s AI and foreign influence editor, who spoke with AARP.
“Content farms,” which are “supposed news sites that regurgitate dubious information and often rely on AI-generated articles with little or no human oversight,” are known for publishing articles about impending stimulus payments, as Sadeghi told AARP.
Generative AI has been used by search engines such as Google to provide results that compile data from several sources. Consequently, the information is found by reading the results summary that appears at the top of Google’s search results page, saving users from having to click on numerous links.
On April 2024, we looked for “VA stimulus check” on Google, and the results comes out to be false.
Sadeghi advised readers who are dubious about the reliability of a news website to search for these indicators of artificial intelligence-generated content:
Contradictions or conflicting information: According to Sadeghi, AI-generated articles “often contain contradictions or conflicting info” or even error notices.
Repetition: Key phrases like “stimulus checks” are frequently repeated dozens of times in content farm articles.
Not given credit: “Many citations will be missing,” predicts Sadeghi. “Nowhere is credit given for any of the information.”
Absence of transparency: Is there a byline on the story or a method to confirm the author’s identity? Does the website reveal details about its creators?