Veterans have increasingly been left behind by government systems that promise fair financial recourse in return for their service. A new study supports these concerns, analyzing 1.27 million federal consumer complaints and finding that older Americans and military veterans consistently experience slower resolution times when seeking help with financial disputes.
The research team at the University of Southern California raised concerns about widening disparities in access to financial redress, particularly at a time when attention has been focused on the federal watchdog and ongoing uncertainty surrounding its future.
Complaints are handled by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Typically, companies respond within 15 days, and according to the study’s authors, this makes the system unusually strong compared to most consumer complaint channels. Common issues include incorrect bank fees, debt collection harassment, and mortgage servicing errors.
“The CFPB complaint has some legal teeth to it, and the company has to respond,” says Mayank Kejriwal, Principal Scientist at USC’s Information Sciences Institute and Research Associate Professor, in a statement.
Daniel J. Epstein, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, who co-authored the recent study, adds, “That’s why we didn’t consider things like response versus non-response; they have to respond.”
“The real question is, how much time did they take?” Epstein said.
Kejriwal and his team found that response rates are uniformly high—above 98% across all demographic groups from 2014 to 2022. However, the speed of those responses tells a different story. Older adults and service members, including active-duty personnel and veterans, consistently wait longer than the general population for companies to address their complaints.
“The trend is going in the wrong direction,” Kejriwal said. “With older Americans doing worse now than they were before, even though everyone is overall doing better, their improvement is a lot less than the general population’s. So the disparity has increased.”
For service members, the disparity has changed over time. The gap peaked in 2016, when they experienced delays 1.8 percentage points above average, before closing to 0.3 points by 2022. Older Americans, however, show a more troubling trend: they began the study period in 2014 slightly ahead of the general population in response speed, but by 2017 that advantage disappeared. By 2022, they had become the slowest group to receive responses.
The study also found that geography and income levels play a significant role. Among elderly consumers living in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods, those who experienced delays tended to have the longest wait times.
“A homeless person on the street, if they’ve been defrauded, they’re not going to be submitting to the CFPB,” Kejriwal said. “There are tens of thousands of people who are likely not getting the help they need.”
However, researchers caution that the data may underestimate the true scope of the issue. The CFPB dataset only includes individuals who successfully navigated the complaint process, meaning many people facing financial harm may not be represented at all. Barriers such as limited digital access, lower digital literacy, a lack of awareness of consumer rights, and difficulty navigating complex federal systems likely prevent many older or low-income individuals from filing complaints in the first place.
Another factor is case complexity. Older Americans are more likely to file complaints involving foreclosure, medical debt, or fraud—cases that require more documentation and extended back-and-forth communication.
The findings highlight a structural challenge and a critical moment for the CFPB. As policymakers debate the bureau’s future, the study suggests that improving accessibility and simplifying the complaint process could significantly enhance how veterans and vulnerable populations access financial support.
Chrissy Newton is a PR professional and the founder of VOCAB Communications. She currently appears on The Discovery Channel and Max and hosts the Rebelliously Curious podcast, which can be found on YouTube and on all audio podcast streaming platforms. Follow her on X: @ChrissyNewton, Instagram: @BeingChrissyNewton, and chrissynewton.com. To contact Chrissy with a story, please email chrissy @ thedebrief.org.