diff --git a/agent/config/builder.go b/agent/config/builder.go
index 5c2eba5c55..dd1719bb1b 100644
--- a/agent/config/builder.go
+++ b/agent/config/builder.go
@@ -2857,7 +2857,7 @@ func (b *builder) raftLogStoreConfigVal(raw *RaftLogStoreRaw) consul.RaftLogStor
 		cfg.Backend = stringValWithDefault(raw.Backend, consul.LogStoreBackendDefault)
 		cfg.DisableLogCache = boolVal(raw.DisableLogCache)
 
-		cfg.Verification.Enabled = boolVal(raw.Verification.Enabled)
+		cfg.Verification.Enabled = boolValWithDefault(raw.Verification.Enabled, true)
 		cfg.Verification.Interval = b.durationVal("raft_logstore.verification.interval", raw.Verification.Interval)
 
 		cfg.BoltDB.NoFreelistSync = boolVal(raw.BoltDBConfig.NoFreelistSync)
diff --git a/agent/consul/server.go b/agent/consul/server.go
index 12386cc9df..4ec9c29610 100644
--- a/agent/consul/server.go
+++ b/agent/consul/server.go
@@ -79,7 +79,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/hashicorp/consul/internal/tenancy"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/consul/lib"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/consul/lib/routine"
-	"github.com/hashicorp/consul/lib/stringslice"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/consul/logging"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/consul/proto-public/pbmesh/v2beta1/pbproxystate"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/consul/proto-public/pbresource"
@@ -747,7 +746,7 @@ func NewServer(config *Config, flat Deps, externalGRPCServer *grpc.Server,
 	}
 
 	// Initialize the Raft server.
-	if err := s.setupRaft(stringslice.Contains(flat.Experiments, CatalogResourceExperimentName)); err != nil {
+	if err := s.setupRaft(); err != nil {
 		s.Shutdown()
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("Failed to start Raft: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -1109,7 +1108,7 @@ func (s *Server) connectCARootsMonitor(ctx context.Context) {
 }
 
 // setupRaft is used to setup and initialize Raft
-func (s *Server) setupRaft(isCatalogResourceExperiment bool) error {
+func (s *Server) setupRaft() error {
 	// If we have an unclean exit then attempt to close the Raft store.
 	defer func() {
 		if s.raft == nil && s.raftStore != nil {
@@ -1190,16 +1189,8 @@ func (s *Server) setupRaft(isCatalogResourceExperiment bool) error {
 			return nil
 		}
 		// Only use WAL if there is no existing raft.db, even if it's enabled.
-		if s.config.LogStoreConfig.Backend == LogStoreBackendDefault && !boltFileExists && isCatalogResourceExperiment {
+		if s.config.LogStoreConfig.Backend == LogStoreBackendDefault && !boltFileExists {
 			s.config.LogStoreConfig.Backend = LogStoreBackendWAL
-			if !s.config.LogStoreConfig.Verification.Enabled {
-				s.config.LogStoreConfig.Verification.Enabled = true
-				s.config.LogStoreConfig.Verification.Interval = 1 * time.Minute
-			}
-			if err = initWAL(); err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
-		} else if s.config.LogStoreConfig.Backend == LogStoreBackendWAL && !boltFileExists {
 			if err = initWAL(); err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
@@ -1230,11 +1221,14 @@ func (s *Server) setupRaft(isCatalogResourceExperiment bool) error {
 
 		// See if log verification is enabled
 		if s.config.LogStoreConfig.Verification.Enabled {
+			if s.config.LogStoreConfig.Verification.Interval == 0 {
+				s.config.LogStoreConfig.Verification.Interval = 1 * time.Minute
+			}
 			mc := walmetrics.NewGoMetricsCollector([]string{"raft", "logstore", "verifier"}, nil, nil)
 			reportFn := makeLogVerifyReportFn(s.logger.Named("raft.logstore.verifier"))
-			verifier := verifier.NewLogStore(log, isLogVerifyCheckpoint, reportFn, mc)
-			s.raftStore = verifier
-			log = verifier
+			v := verifier.NewLogStore(log, isLogVerifyCheckpoint, reportFn, mc)
+			s.raftStore = v
+			log = v
 		}
 
 		// Wrap the store in a LogCache to improve performance.
diff --git a/agent/consul/server_test.go b/agent/consul/server_test.go
index e685f25ca4..6b147d8eae 100644
--- a/agent/consul/server_test.go
+++ b/agent/consul/server_test.go
@@ -19,10 +19,6 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/armon/go-metrics"
 	"github.com/google/tcpproxy"
-	"github.com/hashicorp/go-hclog"
-	"github.com/hashicorp/go-uuid"
-	"github.com/hashicorp/memberlist"
-	"github.com/hashicorp/raft"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/mock"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 	"golang.org/x/time/rate"
@@ -30,6 +26,13 @@ import (
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/keepalive"
 
 	"github.com/hashicorp/consul-net-rpc/net/rpc"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/go-hclog"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/go-uuid"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/memberlist"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/raft"
+	raftboltdb "github.com/hashicorp/raft-boltdb/v2"
+	raftwal "github.com/hashicorp/raft-wal"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/raft-wal/verifier"
 
 	"github.com/hashicorp/consul/agent/connect"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/consul/agent/consul/multilimiter"
@@ -390,6 +393,92 @@ func TestServer_StartStop(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestServer_RaftBackend_Default(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	// Start up a server and then stop it.
+	_, s1 := testServerWithConfig(t, func(config *Config) {
+		config.LogStoreConfig.Backend = LogStoreBackendDefault
+		config.LogStoreConfig.Verification.Enabled = false
+	})
+	_, ok := s1.raftStore.(*raftwal.WAL)
+	defer func() {
+		if err := s1.Shutdown(); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("err: %v", err)
+		}
+	}()
+	require.True(t, ok)
+
+}
+
+func TestServer_RaftBackend_Verifier_WAL(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	// Start up a server and then stop it.
+	_, s1 := testServerWithConfig(t, func(config *Config) {
+		config.LogStoreConfig.Backend = LogStoreBackendDefault
+		config.LogStoreConfig.Verification.Enabled = true
+	})
+	_, ok := s1.raftStore.(*verifier.LogStore)
+	defer func() {
+		if err := s1.Shutdown(); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("err: %v", err)
+		}
+	}()
+	require.True(t, ok)
+
+}
+
+func TestServer_RaftBackend_WAL(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	// Start up a server and then stop it.
+	_, s1 := testServerWithConfig(t, func(config *Config) {
+		config.LogStoreConfig.Backend = LogStoreBackendWAL
+		config.LogStoreConfig.Verification.Enabled = false
+	})
+	_, ok := s1.raftStore.(*raftwal.WAL)
+	defer func() {
+		if err := s1.Shutdown(); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("err: %v", err)
+		}
+	}()
+	require.True(t, ok)
+
+}
+
+func TestServer_RaftBackend_Verifier_BoltDB(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	// Start up a server and then stop it.
+	_, s1 := testServerWithConfig(t, func(config *Config) {
+		config.LogStoreConfig.Backend = LogStoreBackendBoltDB
+		config.LogStoreConfig.Verification.Enabled = true
+	})
+	_, ok := s1.raftStore.(*verifier.LogStore)
+	defer func() {
+		if err := s1.Shutdown(); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("err: %v", err)
+		}
+	}()
+	require.True(t, ok)
+
+}
+
+func TestServer_RaftBackend_BoltDB(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	// Start up a server and then stop it.
+	_, s1 := testServerWithConfig(t, func(config *Config) {
+		config.LogStoreConfig.Backend = LogStoreBackendBoltDB
+		config.LogStoreConfig.Verification.Enabled = true
+	})
+	store, ok := s1.raftStore.(*raftboltdb.BoltStore)
+	defer func() {
+		if err := s1.Shutdown(); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("err: %v", err)
+		}
+	}()
+	fmt.Printf("%v\n", store)
+	require.True(t, ok)
+
+}
+
 func TestServer_fixupACLDatacenter(t *testing.T) {
 	if testing.Short() {
 		t.Skip("too slow for testing.Short")